


Close To You

by DracosPubicHair



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Alternate Universe - Small Town, Angst, Carnival, Churches & Cathedrals, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Explicit Sexual Content, Family Secrets, Fluff, Jealousy, M/M, Pie, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2018-09-07 02:18:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8779252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DracosPubicHair/pseuds/DracosPubicHair
Summary: Michael is a grumpy teenage boy who needs to "lighten up," which is what his mother likes to call it. Michael thinks he's perfectly fine with his Nintendo and his Xbox, but Karen isn't going to accept that when she gets a call from an old friend and invites them to their farm miles away from his gaming consoles.Michael isn't happy about it, even if there's a cute blond that lives there who does constant housework and is best friends with his dog.





	1. Pilot

Michael wanted to die right then and there. He stared at his mother, his jaw dropped to the ground with marinara sauce plastered all around his mouth. His Xbox controller sat lamely in his lap, accompanied by limp hands.

"Sorry, I think I heard that wrong. We're doing _what_ this summer?" Michael asked in disbelief.

"Mikey," Karen started, rubbing her forehead, "I just think you should go out more. You said you wanted to go to new places, right?"

"Yeah, but I didn't mean places with absolutely no wifi!"

"You're being childish, Michael. Back in my day-"

"Oh, give me a break." Michael muttered, turning back toward the TV and resuming his game. The sound of gunshots and grenades gave Karen a headache. She wondered how her son didn't get constantly annoyed by the repeated sounds coming from the television. With a frustrated groan, Karen walked to the TV and gracefully unplugged it, sending Michael in a huge fit, "Mom!"

"I don't wanna hear it. Gosh, Michael, it sickens me to see you on that thing all day! Go play with Richie from school! Do _something_ , Michael!" Karen shouted.

"You didn't have to turn off my game! What the hell is with that?" Michael protested. Karen stared at his son with a disbelieving gaze.

"That's it, it's official. We're going." Karen walked out of the room as Michael leaped off his bed and follow after her.

He let out a humourous laugh, "Wait, wait, wait, we are _not_ going to live on a farm over the summer. You're shitting me, right?"

"Language!" Karen snapped, stopping for a few seconds and then continued to walk again, "We're going to spend some time out in the open. It'll be nice, Michael. I promise it won't be as bad as it seems."

"Mom," Michael pressed. Karen just shook her head.

"I don't wanna hear it." she repeated before closing the door on her son when she went into her room. Michael groaned and tugged at his hair. Gaming was his life. Gaming was all he had and gaming never made fun of him or hurt him in any way. If his mom could take away his Xbox, it's not like she can find his Nintendo DS that was buried under a few dirty clothes under his bed. It was his secret stash. Actually, it's not like Karen would actually attempt to set foot in Michael's room just to dig through his stuff. She hasn't done that since she found a piece of moldy pizza under his dresser and she hasn't cleaned his room since.

Michael just prayed that the school year wouldn't end, for once. He couldn't go one day, scratch that, a whole fucking summer without wifi. Maybe he could fake an ebola virus and just sit in bed and replay a game he beat when he was 9 over and over again for the next 3 months. Yeah, that sounded about right.

 

 

 

It felt like they’ve been driving for days. Beyond that. It felt like they’ve been driving for a million years. In reality, it was only six hours. They finally reach Texas and the A/C is on full blast. Karen is babbling to her husband about one of her coworkers and Daryl is nodding along to her words as he let out a few mumbled responses. Michael sits in the back trying his best to sleep as the car reached a gravel road, disrupting the comfortable silence and his mother’s voice. The sun is setting quickly, orange beams of light hitting Michael’s pale skin through the window.

Suddenly the car comes to a halt and Karen excitedly squeals, “We’re here,” she gets out of the car and opens Michael’s car door, his legs falling out of the vehicle in result, “Get out, Michael. I want you to say hello!”

“I think I’ll sleep in here tonight.” Michael mutters, crawling deeper into the car and eventually leans on the opposite car door. Unfortunately that doesn't last long and he comes tumbling out of the car when his dad opens that door as well. He groans in pain and Daryl just snickers.

“Come on, Mike. They texted us saying dinner was ready. Aren’t you hungry?”

Michael just scoffs and stands up, wiping the dirt off his clothes, “I don’t wanna eat food that they just freshly killed just for this occasion.”

“Michael!” Karen snaps.

“The Clifford Family!” a deep voice greets. Michael looks at the source and sees a broad blond man approaching them, “So nice to see you guys again! It’s been too long!”

“Andy!” Karen greets in a warm, fuzzy tone, something that Karen never talked to Michael with. She pulls him into a hug and then seconds later Daryl is shaking hands with this man named Andy. Once they had their little mingle, the man switches his attention to Michael, who is awkwardly standing against the hood of the car with his DS in hand.

“Michael, I haven’t seen you since you were this tall,” the blond man brings his hand down to his knee. Michael forces a smile at that, “You and Luke used to play all the time when you were little.”

Luke? Who was this Luke he was talking about? He was never friends with anyone named Luke. Michael is sure he didn’t know any Lukes, except for that weird kid who was in his science class in middle school who would always talk about lizards.

“He probably doesn’t remember.” Karen smiles.

“I don’t.” Michael replies, his brows furrowed.

“He’s inside helping his mom set the table. Go on, Michael. I’ll grab your things and you can settle down at the table.”

“‘Kay.” Michael says nonchalantly. He was starving and he wanted to eat food and if he had to communicate with others, so be it. At least he was getting food out of all of this. The house is small. It looks to be two stories but the house almost looked like a cottage. Right when you walk in, you are greeted with the kitchen and the smell of something heavenly. Michael takes in his surroundings. Everything is very clean and bright. The majority of the kitchen is yellow and it smells like flowers and home made apple pie.

"Michael?" a short blond woman asks. She turns around to face the boy, apron around her waist. She slips off her baking mittens and pushes them aside, "It's so good to see you!" she unexpectedly pulls Michael into a hug and he awkwardly returns the favor.

"Hi." Michael murmurs from her tight grasp. For a small woman, she could surely squeeze a man to death.

"Mom, I found them!" a silky, sweet voice exclaims from another room. Footsteps get closer and Michael begins to grow anxious and excited.

"Luke, honey, just set them on the table for now. I want you to come see Michael. He's gotten so big!"

The man enters the kitchen. He's tall, his shoulders broad. He doesn't look that much like his mother or father but maybe if he stood next to them, you could spot the similarities. It looked like he was freshly shaved and his honey blond hair is curled in all different directions. Michael has never felt more intimidated in his life because he was just a bleached blond kid who had a tummy and nothing attractive about him at all.

"Michael, it's so good to see you again." Luke says with a warm smile as he sets the candles on the table. He pulls Michael into a bro hug, the smell of Luke's cologne hitting Michael's nostrils. Honestly, it was to die for. Michael wonders where he got it from.

"You too." Michael says softly, pulling away from the hug.

Luke just keeps a constant smile on his face, "You don't remember, do you?" Michael gives in and shook his head with blush creeping up his neck. Luke snickers at his response, "We used to play when we were younger. We moved here and everything changed. It's so weird to see you now."

"Weird." Michael responds with a shy nod.

"Boys, wanna start eating? Oh, Luke, could you grab the wine from the fridge?" Liz asks as she scurries around the kitchen, picking up every pot and pan in sight. She seems like a busy woman, Michael notes. Soon enough the rest of the family comes in and takes their seats.

The food looks delicious and Michael regretted making fun of it at first. He could eat the whole table if he got permission to. It was probably his hunger speaking for him, but at the moment he didn't care. He just wanted to devour anything that touched his plate. Michael is just about to dig in when suddenly Liz stops him, "Michael, we need to pray first."

Oh, great.

Awkwardly, Michael nods and joins hands with everyone at the table. Andy begins speaking and Michael had no idea what he's quoting and what he's saying, something about them being thankful for eating and thanking the Lord. Michael opens his eyes and looks around at everyone's faces, but notices Luke had his eyes opened, staring blankly at the table cloth in between the food dishes. The blond feels eyes on him and he looks at Michael. The bleach blond's breathing hitches when Luke caught him and the honey haired boy quickly closes his eyes and mumbles an "Amen."

Michael tries to reframe himself from stuffing a whole plate of mashed potatoes down his throat as everyone at the table calmly and respectfully ate their dinner, soft spoken conversations being tossed around at different perspectives. Luke is speaking with the moms while Andy and Daryl had their own conversation about sports. Michael didn't like any physical activities, so he focused his attention toward his mother's words.

"I wish Michael did housework. It would be nice for once if he made his bed." Karen explains nonchalantly. Michael scoffs at that and feels his cheeks burn up.

"Luke can teach him!" Liz jests, earning a small chuckle from Luke and a loud cackle from Karen.

Michael already hates this. He feels insecure and annoyed about the fact that his mother would talk about him that way. Yes, he was lazy. He could admit it, but he was hurt by the fact that Karen enjoyed teasing him about it. Or was it even considered teasing?

"Can I be excused?" Michael asks, standing up from his seat, the chair scraping against the wooden flooring so everyone turned their attention toward him.

"I don't know, can you?" Daryl teases, earning a fond punch in the arm from Andy.

Michael rolls his eyes and makes his way toward the stairs when Liz yells, "You're staying in Luke's room! Upstairs and the first door to the left!" so Michael walks up the creaky wooden stairs and into Luke's bedroom. It smells like him. It's too clean for Michael's liking. The navy blue bed is made neatly and there isn't as much furniture as he expected. The kid doesn't even have a television! He doesn't know what keeps the blond entertained. Did he just stare at the wall all day? Michael couldn't figure him out and he was beginning to grow annoyed by the blond.

He plops onto the bed after going through his duffel bag and pulling out a set of headphones and his iPod. He doesn't even bother checking for wifi since he knows that this shit hole doesn't have it in the first place. Maybe Michael was being harsh about this whole situation, yes. But, he was pissed off that he got dragged into this situation.

Thirty minutes later, a soft knock is heard and then suddenly the door opens, revealing Luke with a pile of towels in hand. "Hey, I hope I'm not bothering you."

"I'm way over that line by now." Michael murmurs.

Luke snickers at that and sets the towels on his desk, "I heard you're not too happy to be here. It'll be fun, I promise."

"Mark your words."

The blond just sighs and gestures toward the towels, "Those are for when you want to shower. Also, I have stuff planned for us tomorrow. Your mom said that you offered to help me with some work?"

Michael's jaw drops and he immediately shakes his head, "She what?"

"I'll take it as a no," he pulls the chair from the desk and sits down so he's facing Michael, "I can teach you a few things. It'll keep you busy and maybe make the months go by faster."

"Look, Luke," Michael starts, his feet swinging over the edge of the bed, "You're a nice guy, I can tell, but all this housework bullshit really isn't my thing, so could you just lay it off?"

The blond furrows his brows at Michael's words but eventually nods, standing up and pushing the chair back in, "See you tomorrow, Michael."

"Yep." the bleached blond replies, tucking himself into the covers and pulling out his DS.

 

~

 

Staying up so late last night was a mistake and the banging of pots and pans from downstairs didn't help Michael's headache and the bags under his eyes. Michael was beyond grumpy and he knew it was gonna be a horrible day. He looks at the digital alarm clock, the only thing that seemed to belong in the 21st century in the house that reads 5:12 AM. He curses out loud and covers his head with the pillow.

"Rise and shine." Liz's bright voice greets unexpectedly. If Michael knew she was going to be the person seeing him first thing in the morning, he would've put on pants to bed.

"Oh, um..." Michael's groggily voice starts, pulling the blankets further up his body, "Morning?"

"Everyone's downstairs waiting for breakfast. Waiting for you, actually. We've got a busy day today." Liz explains as she opens up the window above the bed, revealing dark skies.

"Why so early?" Michael asks, restraining the bitter tone.

Liz laughs at that and puts her hands on her hips, "Work, Michael. We're farmers."

"Oh," Michael responds, because it was a stupid question in the first place. When Liz leaves, Michael uses all the willpower just to step out of bed. He manages to walk downstairs after getting his shit together and is greeted with the smell of bacon and eggs. Luke is playing with a yellow labrador that seemed happy to see him, and Liz tells Luke to shoo the dog outside so it wouldn't beg for the food. Luke just assures that he wouldn't do anything, so he orders the dog to lay down for the rest of breakfast.

Joining hands once again for a prayer, Michael can't help but notice that the only thing that seemed unnatural for a perfect boy like Luke was that he never acknowledged the words Andy spilled from his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this and if you want me to write more of this story, please let me know what you think in the comments and by leaving kudos! :-)
> 
> You can reach me on my tumblr: cheekyclem.tumblr.com
> 
> -LPH


	2. Fredericksburg, Texas

Michael wiped the sweat from his forehead. At the table, his mother mentioned something about working that day and Liz happened to get excited and ordered the two boys to mend the field and to feed the animals. The bleached blond was panting like crazy, almost like the pig he saw run around earlier. To Michael's surprise, he noticed that Luke wasn't phased at all by the heat or the work he was given. He thought maybe it was because the honey haired boy was so used to it by now, but it still wasn't fair. Every five minutes or so, Luke would always ask Michael if he was okay, where Michael just responded, "Never fucking better."

The bleached blond carried a large bucket of farming tools as he walked behind Luke, who grabbed from the bucket to pick up a certain tool Michael didn’t even know the name of. Luke figured halfway through the job that Michael could walk with the tools instead of doing the actual handiwork. Luke was afraid Michael would ruin the crops, anyway.

"Just a few more rows, Michael." Luke chuckled as he noticed Michael's panting intensifying by the second.

"Luke..." Michael panted, dropping the bucket too close to some strawberries so Luke flinched. The bleached blond rested his hands on his knees and took a breather before speaking, "I fucking can't..."

The honey haired boy chuckled and picked up the gardening tools, "How about you walk back and grab the truck? There's a trail on the side of the patch so just take that route."

"Don't mind if I do." Michael muttered, walking away from the blond when he gave him the keys. He figured the truck Luke was talking about was the one right next to the barn under a small canopy. Getting into the car and starting the engine, Michael mumbled, "If there's anything that I won't fuck up, it's this."

Michael scanned the area before pressing on the gas pedal. It sure was beautiful, he had to admit it. The green crops were aligned beautifully in rows and a wheat field was pushed off to the side next to it. In the distance he saw the honey haired boy managing just perfectly under the hot sun and it's beaming rays. He had to focus, he had one job to do. So Michael just followed Luke's instructions and drove over on the dirt path on the perimeter of the field, careful to avoid any ditches or bumps in the road. Suddenly he heard the Ford hissing. Michael furrowed his brows and sat up straighter in the seat to take a look at the hood. Smoke was coming out and that's when Michael knew something was terribly wrong.

It was obvious Luke knew as well when he looked up from his work and his eyes widened, his arms flailing in panic as he gestured for Michael to get out of car. The bleached blond's heart started racing as he stared at Luke jump over the rows of crops to the best of his ability and open the car door for Michael, pulling him out forcefully. "What part of 'get out of the car' do you not understand?"

"I didn't hear you! Don't blame me!" Michael protested.

Luke shook his head in frustration and tugged at his hair. Realizing how pathetic he might look, he took a deep breath and released his hands from his hair and shoved them in his pockets of his overalls, "I thought Calum fixed it. I payed that bastard and everything."

Michael's dick might have twitched a bit when he heard Luke swear, and he wasn't sure why, so he waved it off and mentally slapped himself in the face, "Who is Calum?"

"A neighbor, he's the mechanic's son." Luke replied, opening the hood of the car to reveal a gust of smoke and a horrid stench, “It’s fried.”

Michael stood there helplessly and tapped his fingers on his sides to the beat of a song in his head, “What do we do?”

“We push the truck back.” Luke said nonchalantly. Michael’s jaw dropped to the ground as he stared at Luke who was already walking behind the truck.

“We’re gonna push that big, heavy ass truck back to the house?” Michael asked warily.

“It won’t be as hard with two people pushing it back. You can push it from the drivers side and steer while I stay in the back and push, all right?” Luke instructed, his hands in place on the tailgate.

Michael laughed humorously and placed his hands on his hips, “I can’t fucking push this, Luke!” the honey haired boy rolled his eyes and dropped his hands to his sides, walking toward Michael. He picked up the bucket of tools next to the bleached blond and began walking back in the direction of the house. Michael furrowed his brows, “Where are you going?”

“Getting my dad because you’re obviously not even attempting to try.” Luke muttered, keeping his pace.

The bleached blond watched Luke walk away, hands covered in dirt and his stained overalls hugging his legs. The boy looked heavenly even when tired and ticked off. Michael hated it, especially because he straight up insulted Michael. In frustration, Michael kicked the tires of the pickup truck and groaned to himself when pain shot through his foot. Accepting defeat, he trailed a very far distance behind Luke back to the house.

 

~

 

He finished the game he brought along with him already, now he's starting a new game and is thinking about unlocking a few secrets he never figured out as a kid. Michael was sitting on the front porch with his DS and just outside of the door of the kitchen he could smell his mother and Liz cooking something for lunch. He wasn't even afraid if his mom found him being lazy playing his DS he smuggled from home when she specifically said "no games."

"Thanks, Cal. So you'll have it back tomorrow?" Luke's voice from a distance asked. Michael turned up the volume of his game to drown out the honey haired boy's voice.

"I mean, I could try. The engine looks pretty beat up." a different voice explained. Michael suspected it was a boy named Calum that Luke was talking about earlier. He was beginning to grow more and more annoyed by every word they said as their voices got closer.

"Ugh," Luke scoffed in frustration, "I have to make a run downtown later tonight and drop off some stuff at the farmers market."

"You could use ours?" Calum offered, their figured finally coming into view.

"You really wouldn't mind?" Luke asked, eyes hopeful as they approached the porch.

"Not at all, it's not like you're going on a road trip in it. Just be back by eight. Pops has to go down town too and grab some tools. Those bratty kids down the road must have stolen them." Calum muttered.

"The Benumofs?" Luke asked, walking up the stairs of the porch and stopping suddenly when he spotted Michael.

"You guessed it," Calum sighed, "They really need to learn how to control their kids. Whose this?"

"This is Michael. He's visiting for the summer."

"I have a mouth too, Luke." Michael muttered as he fought a boss in his game.

"Whoa," Calum giggled, the corners of his eyes wrinkling when he looked at Luke's offended expression, "You hire him for the summer to work? Cause it seems like he isn't doing much working."

"Nice to meet you too." Michael said in an annoyed tone, pausing his game and slamming his DS shut, "I'm going upstairs."

"Oh, no you're not, you're coming with me to town." Luke chuckled humorously.

Michael furrowed his brows at that and glared at the honey haired boy, "To do what?"

"Deliver."

"Nuh uh." Michael replied immediately, standing up from the rocking chair and pushing past Luke and the puzzled brunette.

"What's up with him?" Calum whispered.

Luke just shook his head and patted Calum on the back to dismiss him, "I don't know, but thank's for everything, Cal. I'll be over around 5 to get the truck." And so Luke quickly followed Michael into the house, leaving Calum on the porch alone with a confused expression on his face. Luke watched as Michael ran up the stairs and into Luke’s room, slamming it shut in the honey haired boy’s face.

Michael was pissed. He didn’t want to have anything to do with the farmer boy and he sure as hell didn’t want to spend his summer doing work. Summer is a break to have fun, not work to the bone.

There was a soft knock on the door and Michael just pushed a pillow over his head as Luke’s voice came through, “Michael, please open the door.”

“Fuck off.” his muffled voice replied from under the pillow.

“It’s my room, dude.” Luke snickered after knocking again. That was a valid excuse. So Michael stood up and quickly unlocked the door before planting his whole body back on the bed where it belonged. Michael heard the door open and shut softly, then footsteps. He felt a dip in the bed right by his feet and heard the small squeak of the bed, “It’s not that bad. Downtown is pretty cute, I’m sure you’d like it. They have these apple pies that are to die for. Wouldn’t you like that?”

“I reek like farm animals.”

“You can go shower before we leave.”

This boy is really making it difficult for Michael to get out of the house. In frustration, Michael threw the pillow in Luke’s face, not as hard as he’d expected it to be, “Why the hell are you so nice to me? Can you just please fuck off and leave me alone?”

Luke peeled the pillow off his face and set it gently back onto the bed. His expression changed from comforting to hurt and confused, “I think everyone should be treated with kindness, Michael.”

“ _God,_ you sound like you’re eighty!” the bleached blond growled, fists balling up and face turning red.

“Hey,” Luke started, placing a hand on Michael’s arm, but the boy just flinched and pulled it away.

“Don’t touch me with your dirty fucking animal infested hands, you freak! ”

_Slap._

There was a burning sensation on Michael’s left cheek. Surely the pale skin was already a red, throbbing mess and there was nothing Michael could do. He slowly raised his hand up to rest his hand upon his soon-to-be bruise. Silently, the honey haired boy stood up and twisted the door knob to walk out. Before doing so, he said in the saltiest voice Michael had ever heard, “Get in the shower quickly because I’m not waiting more than twenty minutes.” Stunned, the bleach haired boy slowly got up from the bed and didn’t even bother to lock the door when he headed to the shower.

 

~

 

The car ride downtown was quiet and awkward. Luke didn't even turn on the radio. The ride was long, too. There was nothing but dirt and wheat fields for miles until you saw a sign that read, "Welcome to Fredericksburg, Texas." They parked in front of a barber shop and before Michael could get out of the car, Luke nudged him and gave the boy $30. Michael furrowed his brows at the other boy's actions when Luke nodded toward a hardware store next to the barber shop, "Go in there and ask for an order placed by Daryl Hood. Can you do that for me?"

Michael took the money cautiously and hesitated to nod, "Yeah."

"When you're done just find me by those canopies up there. It's the farmer's market. I should be by the fresh produce near the middle." Luke explained, pointing up the street where multicolored canopies stood in a line against the gutters and a bunch of people surrounding them. Michael just nodded at Luke's words and the honey haired boy patted him on the back before getting out of the car and taking a crate of vegetables out of the trunk. Michael approached the hardware store and walked in, only to be greeted with the smell of metal and rubber. A man behind the register looked up from his newspaper, a cigarette in the corner of his mouth. "Afternoon!"

Michael looked down at the money in his hands, "I'm here to pick up an order for... D-Daryl Hood?"

"Hood! The one and only." the man shouted enthusiastically when he bent down behind the desk and took out a large paper bag. Michael dropped the money on the counter and shoved his hands back into his pockets, waiting for the man to count it all up, "Never seen you around here."

"Well, I mean, there's a lot of people in the world." Michael forced a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah," he exhaled the smoke out of his mouth, "but no one comes to Fredericksburg. Small town. Everyone knows each other. All the businesses associate with each other and whatnot."

"I'm just visiting over the summer." Michael explained, taking the bag, but it unexpectedly weighed more than he wanted it to.

The man counted up Michael's change and handed it to him over the counter, "Staying with the Hood's then?"

"No, the Hemmings." Michael muttered.

The older man laughed but coughed in the process from the smoke he had just inhaled, "Hemmings, eh? They probably have you doing all this work!"

"Tell me about it."

The bleached blond made his way to the door, "Hey kid," Michael stopped in his tracked and lazily looked back, "They're good people. Basically saved this town from starvation over the years when their son left school to help out. Take care." Luke left school to help out on the farm? Well, Michael wasn't as surprised. He'd rather do farm work than go to school 5 days a week and get nagged around by some shitty teachers who hate their job anyway.

Michael put the bag into the trunk of the car with a loud an hefty groan before walking up the street to find Luke. He passed many stands that sold different goods from flowers to home made kettle corn and everyone looked... Happy. Michael wanted to feel that right now but this stupid fucking trip wasn't doing him any good.

"Michael!" Luke's voice shouted. Michael tried to find it, searching high and low for Luke, "Michael!"

When Michael saw the tuff of honey blond hair, he rushed over and found Luke behind a table setting some strawberries and carrots onto the table in smaller containers, "Come help out here." Luke ordered, not even looking up at the boy as he placed more carrots into a container on the table. Michael hurried to bend down to where Luke was digging from the crate and following his actions.

"Luke, wanna introduce me to your friend?" a too-happy voice for Michael's liking asked.

"Oh," Luke started, a smile appearing on his face when he looked back at a curly haired boy, "Michael, this is Ashton. He sells our produce with his family."

Ashton held out his hand with a dimply smile. Michael took it slowly and Ashton shook it firmly, "So nice to meet you! What brings you here?"

"I'm visiting over the summer." Michael explained for what felt like the millionth time today.

"Sorry, he's a little shy." Luke said with a wink at Ashton's direction. Michael felt himself fuming again.

Ashton giggled at that response and put his hands on his hips, "Well maybe Fredericksburg will help you come out of your shell, right?"

 

~

 

 _"'Sorry, he's a little shy.'"_ Michael mimicked Luke's voice once they stepped back into the truck.

"It was a friendly joke." Luke snickered, turning his head so he could safely back out of his parking spot.

"Now he's gonna think I'm a freak..." Michael pouted, looking out the window at the canopies.

The honey haired boy finally backed out of his spot and began driving down the street, "It won't matter after the summer's over. You'll kiss Fredericksburg goodbye."

Those words hit Michael harder than he thought it would. He _will_ have to kiss Fredericksburg goodbye. The summer was going to last longer than it intended to if he was staying in a small town with no wifi and shit-ton of positive people. He wanted to spend his summer alone with his video games, with all the wifi in the world and the darkness of his bedroom. Michael was 18 now, he gets to decide what he wants to do and he definitely wanted to do exactly that. Except, his mom unfortunately still has control over his life and will legitimately bury her son six-feet under the ground if he didn't obey. So that's how he ended up in Fredericksburg, Texas with an annoying honey blond boy who is in love with his job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the support, I'm excited about where this story is going!
> 
> -Jade


	3. What's Your Story?

“Michael, come help Luke set the table!” Karen shouted from inside. Michael mumbled a response that his mother probably didn’t even hear from the porch. Michael decided to spend most of his free time on the porch. It was the most he could do if his parents wanted him out of the house. “Michael Gordon!”

“Shit, don’t use my middle name.” Michael whisper-yelled as he stood up and made his way inside. Luke had a plaid shirt on that was tucked into his Levi’s and his hair was combed back. He looked good and it angered Michael.

“I’m just about done, anyway.” Luke said with a smile as he smoothed out the table cloth.

“What’s cooking?” Michael asked, running his hands through his hair as he took a seat in his usual spot since the day he got there. It’s been about a week and a half since they arrived and Michael still hasn’t adjusted to all the work.

“Vegetables. And a lot of them.” Liz replied, a smile on her face as she set one of the plates onto the table.

“That’s exactly what Michael needs!” Karen laughed, patting her son on the shoulder as she walked by to take her seat next to him.

“Mom,” Michael pressed.

Andy and Daryl walked in from the living room after watching a sports game, “They won, Lukey boy!” Andy shouted, patting his son on the back and Luke smirking at his dad’s reaction while he set wine glasses next to each plate. He specifically stopped at Michael and nudged the glass in his direction.

“You drink wine?” he asked.

Michael was just about to open his mouth and reply but his mother cut him off, “Oh, he doesn’t.”

“Mom,” Michael repeated, his tone bitter.

“You know why you’re not allowed to have alcohol, Michael.” Karen snapped.

“Oh, right. My bad. Not old enough.” Luke forced a smile as he set the glass back into a cabinet.

“Luke, sweetie, it isn’t that,” Karen said in the most wine-mom voice ever.

“Mom, seriously…” Michael mumbled.

“Daryl come sit down, will you?” Karen shouted, interrupting her son once again. Michael just decided to shut up the rest of dinner unless he was spoken to and he let his mother push him around with her words if they came out offensive. He didn’t have the energy to fight back anymore.

“Luke, I think you deserve to sit at the head of the table tonight.” Andy reckoned. Luke’s eyes lit up at that and he nodded, taking a seat in the first chair in front of everyone.

“Thanks, dad.” Luke smiled, the corners of his mouth twitching as he did so.

“What a good boy,” Karen whispered to Liz from across the table.

“Let’s pray.” Andy chimed in. Everyone joined hands like every other night and Michael closed his eyes to respect their every meal routine. “Thank you, Lord. These are simple words but they come from simple hearts that overflow with the realization of your goodness.” Michael opened his eyes and looked at Luke, who was staring at the table cloth in front of him. “We ask you to bless us as we eat, bless this food and bless the hands that prepared it.” the honey haired boy felt eyes on him.

He looked up and his eyes met with Michael’s. The bleached blond immediately squinted his eyes and gestured to question ‘why the hell are you not praying?’ 

“May the words of our lips spring forth from hearts of gratitude and may we bless others as we fellowship today.” The honey haired boy just showed a look that Michael couldn’t read before saying, “Amen.”

 

 

~

 

“We’re going to church in the morning, Michael. Please get some rest tonight.” Liz said with a smile before closing the bedroom door.

Church. Great.

The last time Michael went to church he ripped a loud fart that echoed throughout the whole service and he vowed to never go back after that embarrassing moment. His parents weren’t against it because they were embarrassed in front of their friends as well. From then on out, church was never a routine the Cliffords did and it never really came up in conversation unless someone asked. Karen and Daryl were very religious, but they never had the time to express it or go to church. When they got a chance, however, they took it. So praying with the Hemmings was always enjoyable for the pair.

In the morning, Michael put on his best shirt he brought, which was a black button up and unfortunately he didn’t bring any fancy pants so he had to settle with unripped skinny jeans. He didn’t remember what to do in church since it’s been so many years so he’s just going to have to suck it up and follow along.

The stairs creaked as Michael headed downstairs. Since Liz didn’t come in and wake Michael up, maybe he was on time. When he made it to the last step, he stretched his neck to get a look at the kitchen, which was oddly quiet at this time in the morning—the time being 5:20. Taking slow steps into the small space he saw a yellow tail coming out from under the table.

“What the…” Michael whispered, approaching the tail.

“Bruno!” Luke shouted from outside. The yellow lab zoomed out from under the table and galloped outside, where Luke came into view and bent down to pet the dog. The blond looked gorgeous. His hair was combed back, slicker than usual except one strand that hung against his forehead. His white button up clung to his broad shoulders and his black jeans hugged his legs so nicely, and don’t get Michael started on the brown shoes Luke was wearing. It made him look at least two inches taller and Michael had no idea why he was drooling over him so much.

Michael slowly walked toward the pair who were having a playful banter, “I didn’t know you had a dog.”

Luke glanced up for just a second before focusing his attention back onto the yellow lab, “He spends most of his time in the barn and out in the fields.”

The bleached blond nodded at his response and leaned against the door frame, watching the blond scratch behind Bruno’s ears. Michael studied Luke’s actions. He scratched Bruno’s ears so delicately and his mouth was parted, focusing on his dog’s light purrs. Luke looked like a god.

“Luke I told you to get that thing back into the barn! He’s gonna get dog hair everywhere!” Liz boomed, startling the two boys and the dog included.

“Don’t call Bruno a ‘thing.’ He’s more than that.” Luke mumbled, smiling down at his canine.

“Whatever he is, Luke. Honey, I just don’t want dog hair getting everywhere.” Liz groaned, running a hand through her hair as she opened the fridge. Luke just shot his mother a look without her seeing and guided the dog out of the house, walking beside it toward the barn. Michael smiled in victory when Luke, the perfect son of Karen's dreams, did something wrong.

Michael hated the barn. It smelled bad and there was too much noise. He followed the honey haired boy anyway, trailing behind in hopes that he won't get caught. He wanted so bad to find Luke doing something he wasn't supposed to and tell Liz or Andy. Call Michael a snitch, whatever, but all he wants is to make some type of good impression while he's here when all he's been doing was sitting on his butt and whining whenever there isn't food in his mouth. He wanted to be the perfect son Karen had always wanted and Michael loves all of the attention. When the attention is taken away from Michael, things get serious and he won't be happy about it.

Maybe it was an only child thing, but who knows.

The bleached blond peeked his head into the barn where Luke disappeared to and he was no where to be found. Huffing, Michael stepped inside and covered his nose from the smell of cows, manure and something else he couldn't put his finger on. Whatever it was, it reeked. The barn was cold, loud and stinky, Michael didn't know how the animals themselves could survive in here. He stepped over a small pile of hay and looked around, trying to find any sign of the blond.

"Michael?" Luke's voice echoed from somewhere. Michael jumped a little at Luke's sudden presence and looked around to locate him, "Up here."

He looked up, seeing Luke peek from a high loft near the side of the barn. A ladder was connected to it and the loft was just above the large pile of hay, "What are you doing up there?" Michael asked, wrapping his arms around himself and trying his best to ignore the horrible stench. He took a step closer toward the honey haired boy who started to climb down the ladder.

"Oh, um," Luke started, finally getting back onto his feet and gesturing toward the loft, "I sleep here."

"You what?" Michael asked in disbelief.

Luke shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged, "It's the best I've got. Not that bad, really. Pretty comfortable."

The bleached blond scoffed, "Does Charlotte come visit you often? Lay her eggs in your ears or some shit?" The honey haired boy squinted his eyes at that and Michael groaned loudly, "Charlotte's Web? You know? Where they almost kill the pig?"

"Jesus, Michael." Luke muttered, walking away from the younger boy. Michael caught up and walked beside the blond, who refused to even look at the bleached blond.

"Why the hell don't you pray?" Michael blurted.

"What?" Luke snickered, squinting his eyes when the sun was now over the horizon.

"You don't pray at the table. Why?"

The honey haired boy just smiled wider and shrugged. He looked over at Michael with that smug smile on his face, "Why don't you?"

"I don't believe in that shit. Now tell me why you don't."

"None of your business." Luke sassed.

"I told you, now you tell me!" Michael shouted, nudging Luke slightly in the arm.

"Boys, breakfast!" Liz called from the kitchen.

"Coming, mom!" Luke replied. In a hushed voice, Luke leaned into Michael's ear and whispered, "Maybe I'm not a fan of their religion either."

When Luke's warm breath left Michael's ear, he was left with a tingly feeling in his chest and clammy hands. He caught his breath once Luke walked inside the house before he did. Michael couldn't help but feel a sense of victory when he saw Luke smirking at him while their parents said a prayer before their meal.

 

~

 

The church service was awkward. Luke knew all the words to the songs by heart and Michael spent the entire song finding the lyrics in the book, but by the time he found the lyrics, the song was already over. Every once in a while Michael got a playful smirk from Luke and God, Michael hated Luke. He was too perfect and Karen constantly rambled on how much she'd love to adopt him. Michael sits right there when she talks about it, too. And it hurts.

But now Michael has something against Luke, something that either of their parents wouldn't like—Luke doesn't support their religion. If Michael got a chance to tell them, maybe Luke wouldn't be the perfect boy they all thought he was. A part of him was against the idea since Michael is literally eighteen years old and shouldn't be caring about this kind of nonsense, but one of Michael's traits was stubborn.

When the service was over, Michael sighed in relief and got out of there as quick as possible. The fresh Fredericksburg air was something Michael craved during that whole hour of worship. "Michael, why did you run away so quickly?" his mother asked as she approached him.

Michael glanced at his mother before looking back at the old town before them, "You know this isn't my thing."

"Well you better start making it 'your thing.' God is everything, Michael." Karen said sharply. Her tone disappeared when Liz emerged from the sea of people, "Liz!" Karen's voice faded as she ran off to where Luke's mom was, then Michael started to wonder where Luke was. Stepping into the almost-empty church, what caught his eye was a beautiful young woman chatting it up with the honey haired boy. She had blond hair and a slim figure, she couldn't be more than nineteen. She had her hands all over Luke, touching his shoulders every now and then as she spoke.

Luke, however, didn't look very amused, but he kept a forced smile on his face while she talked about whatever she was saying. Michael thought he could do the blond a little favor, "Luke!" The honey haired boy swiftly darted his attention toward Michael's direction. The bleached blond leaned against the marble walls, arms crossed, "You mom's looking for you."

The honey haired boy nodded quickly at that, taking the girl's hands in his and giving her an apologetic smile, "Sorry, it was really nice speaking with you."

"You too, Luke! Just let me know if you can make it!" she exclaimed as Luke was already walking out the door with Michael.

"You said mom wanted me?" Luke asked, avoiding Michael's eyes.

The bleached blond just laughed, shoving his hands in his pockets, "I saved you back there. Jeez, I could feel the tension from a mile away."

"Tension?" Luke scoffed.

"Yeah, you looked like you wanted to gauge your eyeballs out and stick them in your ears. She was feeling you up, too."

Luke just shook his head at that and bit the inside of his cheeks, "She invited me to have dinner with her family."

"Are you gonna?"

"Not interested. She just wants to get inside my pants."

 Michael stuck his lower lip out and nodded, "Isn't that a good thing though?"

The honey haired boy furrowed his brows and glanced at Michael, "What?"

"You could get laid, you know? She's pretty, too."

Luke smiled at that and focused on the ground as they walked, "Nah, she's not my type."

"What's your type, then?" Michael asked.

The honey haired boy was quiet for a few moments before replying, "I don't know. Just haven't found the right person yet."

"Valid."

The pair sat in silence when they waited for their parents to come back so they can take off and go back to the farm. Luke was saying something about doing some work in the barn and Michael gagged by the thought of it. He couldn't last one hour in the stench.

"Shit, Luke. How do you do this every day?" the bleached blond asked as he watched Luke walk from one side of the barn to the other, carrying stacks of hay and buckets.

"Could you stop asking questions and just help me out here? It’s a lot to carry and these cows aren’t gonna milk themselves.”

“Technically…” Michael started, snatching a bucket from Luke.

“Don’t even comment, Clifford. Come on.”

Luke placed the bucket under the cow's udders and knelt down. He gestured for Michael to kneel next to him. The bleached blond stared at the sight, his right eye twitching a bit, "Why am I here?"

"You're going to milk this cow while I milk the other one so it can go by faster. I'm gonna teach you, all right?" Luke clarified, putting his hand on the tip of one of the udders.

"Mother of god..." Michael muttered.

"Okay, so first you're gonna put your whole hand on this teat." Luke started, glancing over at Michael.

"Teat?"

"Think of it as the nipple of the cow." Luke snickered, "Come on, do it." Michael obeyed and hesitantly grabbed the teat. "Well don't squeeze her to death and hurt her."

"What the fuck am I supposed to do, Luke? This is gross." Michael wanted to subtract himself from the equation immediately. The udder was cold and smelly.

"You say that now but later we gotta clean up the horse manure. Let's go, Clifford, squeeze that teat!" Sure enough, fresh milk came spraying out and into the bucket, hitting the metal with a wet, harsh sound. Michael cringed at that and Luke cheered, patting Michael on the back before heading to the next cow over, "Her name is Linda. Treat her gently."

"Why Linda?"

"I dunno, made it up just now." Luke said nonchalantly. Michael looked under the cow as he continued milking, seeing Luke get on his knees and begin working too and maybe, just maybe, Michael smiled.

 

~

 

"Gross!" Michael cried as Luke shoveled up manure under a big, brown horse.

"If I had a nickel for every time you said that today... Just today, Michael—I'd be drinking the most expensive champagne in the world, wearing a silk robe and lounging on a beach chair along the Hawaiian waterline."

"Yeah? And guess whose paying for all that?"

Luke looked up at the bleached blond with a teasing smirk before shaking his head and shoveling up another pile, "Grab a shovel."

Michael obeyed and covered his nose with his shoulder when he had to bend over the pile of manure and reach for the shovel, "What do you do for fun around here?"

"You sayin' this isn't fun?" Luke teased.

Michael rolled his eyes at that and stuck the shovel underneath the shrinking pile, "Seriously. I'm bored to death."

"I'll show you after. But for now, stop pretending you're my friend and get to work." The bleached blond knew Luke was kidding, but his heart might have felt a pang of mixed emotions. Maybe Michael needed a friend besides his Pokémon.

Eventually time passed and Luke told Michael to stay in the barn for a few minutes before he came back and was holding two saddles. Michael furrowed his brows when Luke threw a saddle over two horses and led them out of the barn in a jiffy. Michael didn't question it so he followed Luke outside. The sun was beginning to set and Luke's hair looked like warm honey now, unlike the kind you see usually in the daytime. Michael liked Warm Honey Luke so far.

"Hop on." Luke stated, patting the side of the horse.

Michael stared at the very large horse, trying to wrap his mind around where and how to do so, "And how do I do that?"

"Every ridden a horse before?"

"I've ridden a donkey when I was like... Nine."

"You need a refresher then. Come 'ere." The bleached blond stepped next to Luke, where Luke put his hand on Michael's shoulder and pointed at the saddle with the other, "See that thing sticking out of the saddle? Step on it and I'll push you up."

"Do I trust you? Will the horse kick me in the face?" Michael asked jokingly, but Luke didn't laugh and patted Michael's back again, gesturing for him to just get to it. So Michael did, he stepped up and suddenly Luke's hands were at his sides, hoisting him up when suddenly Michael was sitting on a fucking horse.

"How's the view?" Luke asked, placing his hands on his hips, closing one eye and squinting the other at Michael from the setting sun.

Michael grinned, for what felt like the first time in the past week and a half, "Is this how Shaquille O'Neal feels?"

"I think he's taller." Luke snickered, gracefully getting onto the other horse, "Follow me." and Luke began riding off, where Michael screamed, "How?!" And suddenly Michael's horse began running too, following Luke's horse as they rode down the dusty road and onto a path in the woodland area.

They slowed down after a few minutes, riding side by side. It was starting to get dark, now. The trees around them were healthy and lively, the mixed green, yellow and brown leaves falling as a small gust of wind greeted them, leaving a trail of fallen leaves covering the ground below. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see. Even if I told you, it probably wouldn't seem cool but once you're there, it all speaks for itself."

Luke wasn't lying when he said that, because when they finally arrived after minutes of silence and enjoying the scenery around them, they came across a pond, probably deep enough for someone to swim inside it. Surrounding it was different vibrant colored flowers and tall bright green grass. The trees above it discarded their leaves into the pond, but most of them got swept away down a stream from the pond, leaving the small body of water clean and clear from anything on it's surface except for a family of ducks and maybe a newt or two. Dragonflies flew across the shallow ripples and eventually split into the wilderness, the sound of crickets breaking their silence and even Luke's voice, "You can get off the horse now. I secured them to the tree."

The honey haired boy helped Michael down and sat on a log just next to the pond and two ducklings searching for food in the water. Michael took a seat next to him, admiring the view ahead of him, "Wow."

"Yeah, wow." Luke snickered, sticking a finger into the water and drying it against his flannel, "It's warm."

"Is it?" Michael asked, doing the same and nodding in approval, "How did you find this place?"

"I got bored one day." Luke explained with a slight shrug.

"Really?" Michael asked disbelievingly, nudging the blond a bit, "Never thought I'd hear that coming from you. You're such a goody-goody whose in love with his job and it seems like you don't have a problem with it all."

Luke was quiet for a few seconds, his eyes following the ducks in the pond, "You think so?"

"Well... Yeah."

The honey haired boy nodded slowly, finally looking at Michael, "I hated it at first. I mean, I sorta grew up here. But when I had to start working, my perspective of it all changed. Years went by and it just became a routine. I'm not complaining all that much anymore, it seems like it."

"Um..." Michael started, avoiding Luke's eyes and rubbing his palms on his legs, "You said you had to start working?"

"Yeah. I was like... Seventeen."

"That guy at the hardware shop told me you had to drop out." Michael mumbled, remembering the old man's aging smile under that cigarette.

Luke scoffed and shook his head, "Frank.. Always telling other people's stories."

"What's your story, then?"

Luke paused and sighed, "I mean, that's a true part of my story," he started, smiling at Michael before looking back at the water, eyes focused on a newt crawling along the side of the pond, "The town was going downhill. Fresh produce became a problem because we couldn't produce that much with only a few workers at the farm. My parents had me drop out because they wanted me to take over the farm when they pass and stuff. Expect me to marry a pretty girl, have kids and make them all live the same exact life I'm living. Work for years until your fingers start to bleed, fall in love with someone and become some big happy family for generations helping this town survive."

"How come they had just you?"

"I have two brothers, but they didn't want this life. They left together and I was too young to understand anything. My parents don't associate with them anymore. I wonder how they're doing." Michael didn't really know what to say. Was he supposed to be sorry? He didn't have any siblings of his own, so he couldn't understand.

"How come I've never heard of them before?"

"My parents don't talk about them. I don't think I remember their names, either. Like Jake and Bill? I think that's what they're called," Luke explained, "They erased every trace of them in the house. It's all me now. If you didn't know me my whole life and you'd just met me, you wouldn't even have a thought of me having siblings."

"Thats... Really fucked up, Luke. Do you know that?" Michael whispered, trying to get a reaction out of Luke but the blond's eyes just widened in realization.

"Whoa, it  _really_   _is_  fucked up." It was like Luke just realized it, he's been living with a weight on his shoulders and suddenly the weight was lifted, leaving Luke with a huge grin on his face, "Well, shit, Michael!"

"Wh-what?"

"It's really fucked up!" Luke was grinning now, then there was a snicker, then a chuckle, then a laugh coming from the blond. Michael's ears rung when the laugh intensified, Luke's hands being placed on his own stomach from laughing too hard. "Oh my  _God_ , I've been living under the roof of these people for all my life without my big brothers!"

Michael started to smile, but his smile fell when he saw the sparkle in Luke's eyes. This wasn't some in-the-moment laughter. Luke was hurting. "Stop laughing Luke," Michael said, placing his hands on Luke's shoulders, the honey haired boy flinching when he kept a smile on his face and his soft eyes resting on Michael's.

"Why?" Luke snickered, his eyes starting to grow glossy when he kept his gaze on Michael. A pang was felt in Michael's chest before he immediately pulled Luke into a hug, holding the boy for dear life. Seconds later there was sniffling, wet droplets on Michael's shoulder and a strong grip around Michael's sides, "I miss them so much, Michael, and I never realized it."

"You were probably just distracted by all of it from all the work you've been doing around the farm."

"I love this place, Michael." Luke choked.

"I know you do. You just," Michael pulled away from the hug, looking into Luke's red, water soaked eyes. The sight pained Michael. Michael from this morning would've been cheering and dancing around, but Michael now, present time, wanted it all to end, "You just need time to yourself."

Luke furrowed his brows at that, wiping his tears away with the sleeve of his flannel, "What?"

"Jesus, Luke," Michael snickered unhumorously, "Find yourself! Your future was taken away and replaced with one you don't want. You had to drop out of school before you wanted to figure out if you wanted to be a scientist or some shit like that. What about  _you,_  Luke? What about your future and your desires? I know for a fact that I didn't want to come here because I at least knew what I liked and disliked! And trying new things might help you figure that out and _maybe_ because I tried coming here, I don't dislike it as much as I thought. You can find yourself if you try other things too, Luke!"

Luke stared at Michael the glossiness in his eyes fading and the corners of his mouth curling up, "Did you just say you like being here?"

Michael furrowed his brows and shook his head, "W-wh... No, I-"

"You totally like this lifestyle, dude. I know you do. Under that hair dye and that tough ego of yours." Luke teased, playfully punching the bleached blond who rolled his eyes and punched back. "After all, there's one thing I learned about myself from trying new things and I don't know if it's something to be proud of."

Luke's tone went from playful to serious again, and Michael felt curious, "What is it?"

The honey haired boy realized what he had said and shook his head, "Never mind."

"No, Luke, this is good. This is good, you're-you're learning about yourself. What is it?"

"It's nothing  _good."_ Luke mimicked, scoffing and looking back at the pond water that was now empty, the ducks that were there before must have went home.

Michael was stubborn and curious, so there was no turning back now, "If it's about you, Luke, and if it's an aspect about you that you found on your own, you should be proud of it."

The honey haired blond bit his lip, Michael was sure it would start bleeding. The silence between them was painfully long, and Michael was aching just to break it. It had to be about five minutes when Luke's mouth parted and closed, along with his eyes. But then his mouth parted again and he spoke softly, his voice cracking a little, "Don't freak out."

"I'm not gonna freak out." Michael assured quickly.

The silence crept upon them again and Luke began fidgeting with his fingers, his lower lip quivering, "I-I've never told anyone..."

"It can be our little secret, then."

Michael was surprised at himself with how calmly and respectfully he was handling this. He's never supported anyone like this before and he was wondering why he was starting to now. Luke's fear wasn't unnoticed by the bleached blond when Luke scratched the side of his jaw where his stubble was supposed to be and he let out another shaky sigh, "I like boys."

 _Oh boy,_  Michael wasn't expecting that one. In the moment all that Michael knew how to respond to this was to be supportive since Luke trusted him with this information. So Michael pulled Luke into another big hug, letting himself be engulfed with Luke's stronger arms and the feeling of Luke's hot breath on his neck. Michael didn't exactly know what to say, so he took it step by step, "I'm not freaked out." Michael repeated. Luke was silent still, keeping his face in his neck and Michael could feel him shaking so he just hugged the honey haired boy tighter, "I wouldn't be freaked out even if I was some stranger on the street and you told me. I'd just say, 'Well I hope you're happy.' Because that's what matters, right? Your happiness?"

Luke snickered at that, keeping his ground, "I thought you would hate me more than you did when you first got here."

"I don't hate you."

"It seemed like it."

"I was jealous." Michael blurted. Luke pulled away from the hug and looked into Michael's eyes, searching for an explanation, "You seemed like the perfect kid and my mom wouldn't stop comparing me to you. It's like she doesn't love me and she'd rather adopt you, and-and then it was like everything I did was wrong but everything you did was right and my mom hasn't really been fond of what I normally do so when she saw you being all... You... she saw what was wrong with me and just pointed at you as my guide to 'who I should be.'"

"That's shitty." Luke mumbled.

"Yeah."

"What's your story?" Luke asked, a smile on his face because Michael said that earlier.

"My story." Michael repeated softly, tracing patterns in the mud with his shoe, "I'm an only child and I like video games. I'm lazy and I guess that's it."

"Why can't you drink wine? Your mom like, flipped out when I said something about it."

"How do you have a memory of a fucking monkey with a GPA of 4.0?"

Luke laughed at that and kept his eyes on Michael, "Tell me."

Michael sighed and his smile fell, scratching the side of his head, "I went to a house party in junior year, got pretty fucked up with alcohol and came home with a bloody gash on my forearm."

"Ouch." Luke grimaced.

"Yeah, mom nearly disowned me and my dad was furious. They never trusted me with a drop of alcohol ever again."

"How did you get it?"

"I honestly don't know," Michael chuckled, "It's the past."

"I've never been drunk."

"No?"

"Never." Luke nodded, an embarrassed look on his face.

"It's not the best feeling in the world but it's nice to feel lost in yourself. You know, not have worries for a couple hours until it wares off." Michael explained, "But in the morning you feel like shit because of the hangover."

The honey haired boy gave Michael a devilish smirk, making the bleached blond squirm with excitement, "We should come here sometime and just get drunk."

"Yeah?" Michael snickered, a grin growing on his face, "Wanna feel like someone's bashing in your head in the morning, Hemmings?"

Luke was grinning now too and he nodded, "Yeah, let's do it."

The pair either sat in silence, pointed out their surroundings or chatted amongst themselves about random things. Michael felt good, and he hoped Luke did too. It seemed like he did, from the smile on Luke's face and the comfort in his eyes. Michael realized something in between the laughs he shared with Luke. He pointed at the honey haired boy, digging his index finger in the older boy's shoulder, “That’s why you don’t pray at the table.”

“What?”

“That’s why you don’t pray. You’re gay.”

Luke shrugged at that and smiled, “It’s our little secret.”

Sitting there with Luke on a small log in front of the prettiest place he’s ever seen, spilling all the secrets they both had bottled up in them, Michael also realized he never wanted to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i liked this chapter so much im grinning so hard ! everything is good and i love luke so much pls send support to him bc he just came out to michael and I'm so proud of my baby boy for finally letting out all his emotions to his boyf michael lol they aint dating yet but it gon' happen eventually shhhhhh
> 
> also i started a band and our first practice is tomorrow and I'm so happY !!!!!!!
> 
> also also leave comments pls its can be supportive and happy and anything or just fuckin screaming ok i just love feedback and your words bc it means a lot to me and any fic writer :-) or you can send me asks on tumblr @cheekyclem !!!
> 
> lots of love,  
> -jade


	4. Pies & Belly Aches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys sorry for taking so long. I'm a student and i have longer days than regular students so i get home super late and I'm usually working on my music but here ya go! typed this up over the span of like 2 months lmao but i finally finished it today! very unedited! bare with me!

"The ol' Hemmings boy! Look at you! I'm always surprised whenever I see you. Getting bigger and broader, my boy." the man behind the counter spoke. Michael was excited and couldn't stop bouncing on the balls of his feet. Luke talked about the pie shop downtown when he first got there and at first he didn't care, but now that he's finally getting along with Luke and he's actually here smelling the tasty goodness of the pies, he could just about die of bliss.

"I'm here to pick up a raspberry and apple pie." Luke said with a smile.

"Mhm," the man nodded, going out back to let Luke and Michael chat for a second before he returned and set a bag with two boxes inside on the table, "That'll be $10.95." the honey haired boy took out his wallet and looked over his shoulder.

"Will you hold these, Mike?" Luke asked, gesturing toward the bag as he fished out $11. Michael nodded and took the bag, sending the man a smile when he stared him down.

"Whose your friend?"

"I'm Michael." the bleached blond responded, holding his hand out before the man shook it firmly.

"Paul, nice to meet ya." Paul replied with a wrinkly smile and a few ashes from the cigarette falling onto the ground.

Luke let out a long sigh and placed his hands on his hips, "Will we be seeing you at the fair next month, hopefully selling these beauties?" the blond gestured around the shop at the pictures of pies and the boxes scattered around the back.

"You bet'cha!" Paul exclaimed, "No one's gonna miss out on Paul's Pies. Has your friend here tried 'em?"

The honey haired boy nudged Michael playfully and sent a wink his direction, "He's just about to. Aren't you, Mikey boy?"

"Mikey boy?" Michael muttered, feigning annoyance.

"Enjoy, boys." Paul chuckled in between coughs from the puff of smoke leaving his lungs. The pair exited the shop and drove back home where they sat on a lunch table just beside the barn where they got the perfect view of the wheat field and a herd of sheep being taken care of by Luke's father and a couple of other workers.

"This is always exciting. Seeing the bliss in someone's face when they eat one of Paul's Pies for the first time. Which one's your poison?" Luke asked, opening the boxes and holding up the small knife.

Michael just shrugged, "You've got the best judgement here."

Luke was silent for a second as he looked between both pies, his lower lip pushed out and a look on his face that Michael couldn't read. Luke's eyes lit up eventually and he pointed towards the raspberry, "Apple is mainstream, don't you think?"

"Cut me a slice, Hemmings." Michael snickered, making grabby hands toward the warm deliciousness that was ready to be devoured. Luke obeyed and started cutting up a slice of raspberry when a loud, "Yee haw!" was shouted in the distance.

Michael turned around and was greeted with tan skin and a bright smile, "Paul's? Without me?" Calum exclaimed, plopping beside Michael and rubbing his hands together as if he were expecting something devious.

"Where's my pay, buddy?" Luke asked teasingly, eyeing the raven haired boy as he slid the plate to Michael.

"Up yours, Luke," Calum whined, pulling the apple box toward him and twirling it so he could open it up, "Besides, I fixed your damn truck."

"Maybe because it's your fucking job, idiot." Luke snapped with a smile on his face.

Calum snickered at Luke's response and accepted defeat. He cut his own slice and plopped it onto a paper place and took a bite before Michael, and moaned loudly, tilting his head forward with a satisfied grin. He glanced over at Michael and nudged him a little, "You gonna try it or what, Mr. Michael?"

"What's with all the nicknames today?" Michael mumbled before popping some of the pie in his mouth. The taste was rich, it sent shivers down Michael's spine. It was tangy but also sweet, he ached for another slice even though he didn't finish this one. Moaning, he slumped over the table and let out a few giggles, nodding at the boys before him and gesturing toward the pie, "This is-wow."

"Okay, you had your fun. My turn!" Calum shouted, practically shoving a whole slice into his mouth at once.

"Gross." Luke cringed.

A loud gulp came from Calum from swallowing some of the pie, "Says the guy who scoops up cow poop for a living."

"Says the guy who can't even jump a fucking truck. Mechanic my ass." Luke retorted.

Michael was looking back and forth at both boys as they shot out playful banters, still eating his pie in silence and enjoying every second of bliss.

 

~

 

The weather was starting to look gloomy and Michael liked a good storm. Back where he lived, the storms weren't as bad as other places were but when a storm came, he would sit in bed all night and listen to the sounds of the pit-pattering of raindrops and the thunder in the distance. He hoped the animals were okay.

After saying grace at the table, Michael shared a few glanced with Luke, who just waved him off or rolled his eyes, sending a middle finger his way every now and then and Michael liked Luke, he enjoyed his company and his humor, the deep conversations they would have down at the pond when they had their free time. Talking about outer space with Luke became a routine every week.

Andy sighed and looked out the window, "Looks like there's gonna be a storm."

Liz followed Andy's sigh and placed her hands on her hips when she put the dirty dished into the sink, where Luke happily took over and cleaned for her, "You know what that means, Luke."

"I know, I know." Luke replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"What does it mean?" Michael asked, not understanding the concept with a baffled look on his face.

"It means a ton of cleaning. A lot." Luke replied.

"Michael would be happy to help!" Karen chimed in, resulting in a quiet groan from Michael that only Luke could hear.

"Oh, he doesn't have to. He can have a break. He's been working really hard." Luke butted, putting one of the plates down and turning toward the rest of the Clifford family since Andy and Liz walked to the laundry room to grab buckets.

"I don't believe that. Every day is a break for Michael." Karen said with a humorless laugh, glaring at her son.

Michael shifted uncomfortably in his seat and glanced up at Luke for a split second before resting his eyes back onto his feet. Luke cleared his throat after a minute of awkward silence, getting attention from both Karen and Daryl, "I mean what I said. That kid sweats buckets out there. He adjusted faster than I did when I started working here and I appreciate his help. He deserves a break, trust me." The bleached blond was grateful, but also afraid about what his mother would say. No one has stood up for him before.

"All right." Karen said, feigning a smile. It was obvious to Michael. That fake smile she gives when accepting defeat.

Cleaning the final dish, Luke rinsed his hand and dried it with a towel, "Come on, Mike. Rough night ahead. It's best to get some sleep now." Michael nodded without a word and headed upstairs.

After Michael changed into his transformer pajamas (which were very fuzzy and that's obviously the only reason why he wears them now), Luke came into the room and sat on the edge of the bed, "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Thanks for that." Michael replied, eyes fixed on the ground.

"I notice it, you know," Luke started, causing Michael to look up at him, "That attitude she gives you. Why does she do that?"

"I'm lazy, a disappointment." Michael listed off.

Luke furrowed his brows and pulled his knees up to his chest, “No, I don’t think so.”

“What else, then?” Michael snapped louder than he expected.

Luke just nodded and decided to leave the topic alone, “I don’t think she sees how good of a person you are is all.” the honey haired boy stood up and stretched, his V line exposed from his rising shirt, “Night, Michael.”

 

 

The thing is, Michael shouldn’t be thinking about those words Luke said. That he thought he was a good person. Unfortunately Michael was never praised, except for when he got a blowjob by some girl at a party once when he was fifteen. The bleached blond has always been a loner, it’s always been him and his video games. Richie from school, that Karen talked about all the time was a one time thing, a kid who worked with him on a chemistry project in junior year.

The rain was hitting the small house hard, it kept Michael awake no matter how hard he tried to find his way back to his dreams. Then his mind went to Luke, who was in the stinky barn as the rain hit hard. Then Michael started to panic, because Luke must be freezing.

The bleached blond hurried downstairs as quiet as possible, making sure he doesn’t wake anybody in the house. Opening the door quietly and shutting it, he ran through the bee sting-like shots of rain and frantically opened the barn door. What he didn’t expect was the barn to be almost completely dry, but the stink was even worse.

“Michael?” Luke’s voice spoke.

“Luke? It’s raining!” Michael said in an audible whisper.

The honey haired boy just looked around in an obvious way and chuckled, “Yeah, and?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Like I said, I’m sleeping here for the summer and I’m also fixing leaks.” he gesturing toward the almost-filled buckets of water scattered around the ground.

“Jesus,” Michael started, wrapping his arms around himself as he walked toward the honey haired boy.

“And you?”

“Me, what?”

“The hell are you doing here, Clifford?”

“Oh,” Michael started, unable to think of an answer, “I-I just thought…” Luke stood there, waiting patiently for an answer as he leaned against the ladder that led to his bed on the loft.

“You’re soaked, dumbass.” Luke mumbled, climbing up the ladder and peeking over the loft and down at Michael, like the first time the bleach blond saw Luke when he found out he had to sleep in the barn, “Come on.”

Michael hesitated, but climbed the ladder anyway. Luke’s bed was small and cushiony, it wasn’t anything more than a thin mattress, a few pillows and a fuzzy blanket. He must be freezing every night.

“Don’t you get sick of the smell? I mean, it’s raining, too. It must be even worse tonight.” Michael asked, crossing his legs as he sat against the wood. Luke sat to his left, against the other wall where his pillows were.

“No, I’m used to it. I don’t mind, though.”

Silence engulfed the atmosphere around them and Michael shifted awkwardly when he felt a weird sensation in his chest, “I-I should go back.”

“It’s pouring, Michael. Just spend the night here. You can have my bed.” Luke insisted, crawling toward the ladder but the bleached blond’s breathing hitched when he felt himself grab onto Luke’s arm.

“N-no,” Michael started, his face burning when he realized his actions. He pulled his arm back when Luke sat down with furrowed brows and baffled eyes toward Michael, “Where else would you sleep?”

“I uh, I could figure that out,” Luke responded as he looked around the barn as if he were thinking of a plan.

“Just sleep here. It’s fine. It’s not weird or anything.” Michael explained, trying his best not to make it sound offensive. Luke of course didn’t mind, he just smiled shyly and laid back, letting his head rest against the soft pillow. Michael did the same, staring up at the ceiling while Luke pulled the covers over them. Silence greeted them again for a few minutes. Michael felt tension, or maybe it was just him. He wasn’t too sure.

“You okay?” Luke asked. Obviously Luke felt it, too.

“Yeah.”

“You’re uneasy,” the honey haired boy sat up and faced Michael, “What’s wrong?”

“There’s nothing wrong. Leave it alone, Luke.” Michael snapped. The bleached blond’s eyes widened and he looked over at Luke. He didn’t mean to snap. Michael really has to work on that. Luke just nodded and laid back down.

“There’s a festival next weekend. It’s the one Paul was talking about a few weeks ago. I wanna show you around.” Luke brought up, turning his head slightly to face Michael. The bleached blond didn't look over, however. He didn't know why. He didn't know why suddenly things felt limited between the two. And he hated it.

"Sounds fun." Michael responded, voice soft and slightly cracked. It always seemed like silence greeted them after every single conversation, but then Michael found himself blurting, "How did you know?"

Luke furrowed his brows, "How did I know what?"

"How did you know you were gay? The first time we went to the pond you said something about experimenting." Luke's breathing hitched and Michael regretted everything, "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer-"

"No, its okay." Luke insisted, eyes back onto the ceiling. Michael waited, he was patient for Luke's words, "I was in high school. Sophomore year. I guess it was kinda obvious to me I stared at other boys in the gym locker room every day. It got so bad to the point where a kid told on me and I had a talk with our coach in his office and I literally got on my hands and knees and asked him to never tell my parents. He said ok, then he told me to change in the bathrooms for the rest of the year so none of the other boys felt 'threatened.'"

Michael blinked back the stinging in his eyes and attempted to respond, "He just told you to isolate yourself from the other kids?"

Luke's eyes flashed with hurt and he nodded, turning his head the opposite direction of Michael, "It's not like I'm going to hop onto every dick I see. I'm not... an animal."

"Never, never." Michael replied rapidly, shaking his head as he sat up, "You're not an animal, you can't change who you are."

"The story doesn't end there." Luke said with a weak smile, glancing over at Michael. The bleached blond furrowed his brows, bringing his knees to his chest, "The kid who told on me ended up telling the rest of the boys in my gym class, where I found out one of them was gay as well. He came onto me, one day in the bathroom—sorry I have to make you hear this." Luke cringed in Michael's direction, since he was looking so intensely at Luke.

"It's fine. There's nothing to be embarrassed about." Michael assured, eyes filling with worry now.

Luke let out a long sigh, "He came onto me in the bathroom. Literally, he made me give him a handjob. When it was over he said it wasn't actually over, but he wanted to give me a blowjob. Ugh, I feel so awkward telling this to you."

"You don't have to if you don't feel like it."

Luke nodded, "Long story short, I liked it all. It felt natural to me even though that was just a one time thing, I felt sort of attached to him. He wasn't that much of a great guy, he just seemed so... Straight. All my life I thought he was straight. I mean, I don't know where he is now. Probably moved out of town." Luke explained, eyes low.

Michael didn't respond to that, he just laid back down next to Luke, "You're probably tired."

"I am."

"Then sleep."

 

~

 

Luke’s scent filled Michael’s nose. It was lavender, it was probably the shampoo in Luke’s bathroom, Michael noted. He liked the smell of Luke. The honey haired boy’s limbs stretched out, interrupting Michael’s thoughts. He watched Luke, however, when his upper lip curls up and nose scrunches when taking the first stretch of the day. His cheek bones were highlighted with a natural glow and his hair was a hot mess, curled up in all different directions. Luke relaxed his eyes, letting his lashes hit his skin in such elegance, Michael’s stomach hurt. Luke blinked, the first sight he saw was Michael, staring right back at him.

The honey haired boy covered his mouth with his arm, out of tiredness and embarrassment, but you could see his cheekbones rise from the smile on his face, and maybe Michael wanted to see that smile if it wasn’t covered by his arm, “Why’re you watching me?”

“There’s an eyelash on your nose.” Michael answered, which wasn’t a lie.

“Oh,” Luke mumbled, removing his arm from his face and brushing his index finger against the bridge of his pixie nose, “Got it?”

“Yeah.” Michael snickered, watching Luke’s smile in victory, “What time is it?”

Luke yawned, sitting up and glancing around at his surroundings, “Should be about 5 in the morning.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Michael groaned, shoving his face into the pillow.

“It’s perfect timing! Breakfast should be ready.” Luke said in a giddy tone, already climbing down the ladder.

Michael sat back up and watched the honey haired boy walk out of the barn, whistling a song he hasn’t heard before. The bleached blond smiled fondly at that and climbed down lazily, tripping over a bucket full of water in the process, but he didn’t seem to care. Instead he found himself lost in his happy thoughts, that maybe today was going to be a good day.

 

~

 

Luke was going on and on about a carnival the town was holding just down the road from the farm since there was so much open space. The experience Luke explained made Michael curious. Luke explained it as the best experience ever, whereas Michael just rolled his eyes and said, “It’s just a carnival.”

And Luke responded, “I hope you didn’t forget that Paul’s Pies will be there too!” and Michael was back on the dream boat, expectations high.

And boy, Luke was right, it wasn’t any “town fair” that everyone went to, spent about two hours there playing carnival games and eating funnel cake until they got sick of the vibes and left. Fredericksburg’s Carnival was much more than that, it was put together with so much effort. There was a large ferris wheel, countless carnival rides which included a small roller coaster for teens and adults and also a kid’s one, many food stands of the local produce and some carnival games. A live band played, with a semi-large audience and there were poles with lanterns attached, lighting up the walkways and the whole area in general. The sight looked like a movie, and Michael never wanted to leave. It was around 5:00, the sun was setting and the atmosphere was buzzing from the cheering adults, groups of teenagers and the children with cotton candy in one hand and a balloon animal in the other.

Luke handed Michael some carnival tickets which he generously bought for the two of them. “Thank you.” Michael mumbled with a smile on his face.

“What do you think?” Luke asked, elbowing Michael playfully, “Just a carnival, right?”

“It’s more than that, you were right.”

Luke smiled in satisfaction, looking around to where they should go next when a voice howled, “Hemmings!” Looking up, the two boys were met with hazel eyes, curly hair, and a dimply smile, “Been looking for ya! Oh, you brought Michael!” Luke slung an arm around Michael, who lost his balance and pushed himself off of Luke with a sheepish smile.

Luke sent the bleached blond a teasing smile and looked back at Ashton, “That, I did. What’re you up to?”

Ashton’s eyes lit up and he bounced on the balls of his feet excitedly, “I went to the whack-a-mole booth. So fun! I beat that little shit kid that lives down the road off of Jackson Street—“

“Kyle?”

“Yes! Kyle! A few weeks ago he stole my mother’s homemade honey sticks while we were at the farmer’s market. Where the hell are that kid’s parents? I’m tellin’ ya, Luke, once you settle with the girl of your dreams, don’t you dare spawn any of those devils,” Ashton jested, elbowing the blond’s side. Luke just smiled, and Michael stiffened, and he wondered how the hell Luke was so good at keeping his cool in those situations.

“Anyway, I gotta run. My sister needs some extra money and I guess she spent it all on tickets and now she can’t buy food. It was nice bumping into you guys!” Ashton flashed his charming smile and zoomed off, literally running in the direction of the food area.

Michael stood beside Luke, trying to read his expression but Luke just kept a smile on his face and took a long inhale of the fresh air. The bleached blond squinted and said, “Aren’t you gonna talk about what happened?”

“Nothing to talk about. I’m kinda used to it.” Luke snickered, but Michael wasn’t buying it. Luke rolled his eyes and took Michael’s shoulders, shaking him lightly, “I’m okay.”

“Are you?”

“Yes!” Luke said enthusiastically, slinging his arm back over Michael’s shoulder, “Come on, tonight’s gonna be fun, I don’t wanna worry about my issues.”

 

And so the pair made the night theirs, going on the rollercoaster, eating carnival food and challenging each other to goofy game booths. The only thing they didn’t ride was the ferris wheel, something Luke wanted to do last. It wasn’t as large as a normal ferris wheel you’d see at an amusement park, and Michael was thinking the gods since he was afraid of heights. The thought of being above and beyond, higher than a human being could comprehend terrified Michael.

The bleached blond looked up at the ferris wheel since they were only a couple people away in line to get on. Luke got their tickets ready and side glanced at Michael with a friendly smile, however he didn’t know Michael was literally trembling as they got closer and closer to the contraption.

“Next!” the man called out. Luke stepped forward, but Michael stayed in his place. The honey haired boy furrowed his brows and reached his hand out to Michael.

“What’s the matter?”

“I—um…” Michael stuttered, his face getting hot.

“Come on, Luke. Can’t hold up the line.” the man said. Obviously he knew Luke. Who didn’t?

Luke ignored the man and walked one step down the metal stairs, “Michael we don’t have to go on it.”

“N-no, I want to. I just…” Michael mumbled, embarrassed. Luke waited, and so did the man. “I just don’t wanna fall.”

Michael spoke in such a small voice, Luke cracked a small smile, “You won’t fall. They’re boxes. They close the door and you’re in there, safe. If you fall… I’ll try my best to catch you.”

Michael’s cheeks didn’t stop blushing, he kept his eyes lowered as he took a hesitant step up the stairs with Luke, where the honey haired boy placed his hand on Michael’s back, guiding him into the metal box. Michael sat on the hard metal seats, next to Luke and the door closed with a squeaky slam. Luke looked at Michael with a worried expression, “You all right?”

“Yeah. I’m—I’m fine.” Michael nodded, eyes closed.

“We can get off if you want.” Luke offered, already standing up.

Without thinking, Michael grabbed Luke’s hand and pulled him back down, “No, stay.”

Staring at the bleached blond and nodding, the honey haired boy sat back down and looked out the window as the ferris wheel made it’s first movements. Michael’s hand was still intertwined with Luke’s. Michael mentally apologized for his sweaty hand, but even if he wasn’t in this situation, he had the sudden urge to stay like this forever. His hand fit so perfectly with Luke’s, every curve and imperfect feature of their hands fit like a puzzle piece. Michael refused to let go. He was going to cherish this until the ride was over.

“Look.” Luke said softly, pressing his index finger against the window with his free hand.

“How high are we?” Michael asked, eyes still closed.

“At the top.” he replied when the ferris wheel came to a halt, a small squeak coming out of Michael, “Come on, open. Just don’t look down. At least admire the view directly in front of you.”

With a shaky sigh, the bleached blond mentally prepared himself and opened his eyes slowly, being greeted with the sight of the carnival from above. The fairy lights looked like legitimate fairies, dancing around as the crisp air hit it. The moon was large, it was a full moon that night. It brightened up the city, and about a mile away you could see the lights of downtown. Pete’s Pies, the hardware store, the barber shop, and many more stores had their neon lights on.

“Not so bad, right?” Luke’s voice interrupted Michael’s thoughts, the muffled sounds of the carnival below suddenly becoming audible in Michael’s ears. Michael looked at Luke, who was too distracted by the view to even notice Michael’s gaze. The red metal box they were in illuminated against Luke’s fair skin, the light coming out from the window helped the red dim light against his face stand out. _Luke was ethereal._ “Right?”

Luke was raising his eyebrows and Michael was glancing from the blond’s lips to his eyes, a weird feeling in his chest, “Yeah—yeah. It’s beautiful. I just…” Michael looked away as the ferris wheel started to move again, “I feel kinda sick.”

“Sick? What hurts?” Luke asked, panic in his voice again.

“My…” Michael began, swallowing hard and placing his hand on his belly. “My stomach.”

“That’s no good… We’ll get off right away.” Walking off the ride, Luke helped Michael down the stairs, an arm still wrapped around him  as the bleached blond held his stomach, but it only got worse.

“Can we go?” Michael asked, glancing up at Luke and his stomach jumped when Luke smiled down at him.

“Sure.”

“But like,” Michael began, stopping Luke in his tracks, “I don’t wanna… Go home.”

Luke furrowed his eyes and began walking again, “Where do you wanna go?”

“The pond.”

 

~

 

Michael and Luke had been to the pond many times in the dark but tonight was different. The stars were brighter and the sky was clear. The ducks were still out and the crickets sung like a chorus. The water was still, however, even if the ducks claimed their spots at the edge of the pond.

“Why did you want to come here? Doesn’t your stomach still hurt?” Luke asked, getting off the horse and helping Michael off of his.

“Like a bitch.” Michael snickered, grunting as Luke helped him down. The bleached blond took a seat on the log, now known as _their_ log and poked his finger in the water so still ripples were now slightly tampered with, “Warm.”

“It is summer after all.” Luke smiled, sitting next to Michael, where the boy’s stomach churned even more. He swore under his breath, wrapping his arms around his abdomen. He refused to look into the honey haired boy’s eyes when he stood up and took off his shirt. Michael did finally look up and furrowed his brows.

“What are you doing?”

“Swimming. It’s warm, right?”

“Aren’t there like… Fish and shit there?” Michael asked, scanning Luke’s body, which was scarily fit.

“They won’t bother you.” Luke replied casually, stepping into the pond and disrupting the ripples once again when he ducked his head under. Michael watched his figure dance under the water then come back to the surface, he was met with glossy blue eyes and a large smile on his face, “It’s so nice! You should come in! Maybe the heat will calm your stomach.

“I’d rather not.” Michael mumbled as Luke swam right in front of the boy, looking up at him with a genuine smile, hair stuck to his forehead.

“Come onnn.” Luke teased, sending a wink to the other boy’s way.

“Luke.”

Michael was staring too hard into Luke’s eyes, it the sight was too beautiful, and the pain in his stomach was just intensifying as he stared at him, but a voice in the back of Michael’s mind told him it was the feeling of something good, something right. Luke just leaned closer, “Yeah, Mikey?”

The bleached blond swallowed hard, it was probably audible. He glanced from Luke’s eyes, to Luke’s nose, to Luke’s lips and everything in his mind was screaming “LukeLukeLuke!”. The voice in his head was so distracting to the point where he didn’t realize the lips he was fantasizing about were eventually against his own and his hands were cupping the beautiful face he saw in his dreams. But they fit. Just like their hands when they were intertwined and just like their lips at the moment. Still, the feeling in Michael’s chest was too much for him, he pulled away quickly and looked at Luke’s reaction, which was shocked, obviously, from how large his eyes were and how intensely he stared at Michael.

The bleached blond’s heart raced, his limps trembled as he took steps back, stuttering, “I’m-I’m sorry…” When he got no response, he just hopped onto his horse as quickly as he could, maybe he tripped a little in the process, and he sped off in the direction of the house. He never looked back.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope u liked it :-) please forgive me once again!!


	5. Unraveling

Michael was too nervous to talk to Luke. A week had passed and scarily, for more than one day in the week, Luke led the prayers at the table. Both of his parents were ecstatic and as Luke continued with the prayer, Michael was shaking, literally shaking. One night his mom had to smack his hand and in an audible whisper say, "Stop shaking, Michael!" And Luke never acknowledged it. Michael's thoughts were all over the place and one day he decided to go to the local library to do some research.

Michael mumbled a hello to the librarian at the front desk before heading straight to the computers. He missed the feeling of his fingers on a keyboard, but now wasn't the time to mess around. After looking around to check if anyone was glaring at his screen, with shaky fingers he typed, "am i gay?" Various forums and topics popped up, but he decided to look at the least complex way and headed to Yahoo Answers.

 

 

> **bmx334 asked:**
> 
> _am i gay? I'm feel weird around my friend who is a dude and he sat on my lap one day and i got a boner—_
> 
>  

Michael quickly exited the ask box and went to a different website, where he hoped he'd get more answers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

> **anonymous:**
> 
> _i'm a high school student and I guess this has been going on for a long time now. Whenever I look at girls I do feel attraction, but I feel more of that attraction toward boys. Am i gay? i don't know that much about homosexuality. can someone please help!_
> 
> **anonymous answered:**
> 
> _Hi! It could be a possibility that you're bisexual. If you feel attraction toward girls, romantically and sexually, same thing for guys, then you're probably bisexual, or that could be an option! From what you're saying it seems like you're bisexual but you prefer boys. I suggest looking into more research on bisexuality or sexual orientations in general. It's okay to not label yourself right away!_

 

The bleached blond stared at the message, scanning it if he missed anything because that was how Michael felt. Maybe he wasn't aware of it when he was back at home, but now it's just an eye opener because he's around someone in the LGBTQ+ community. Back where he lived, there was probably only one student that was "out" and he barely knew the kid. Michael researched more about bisexuality, and maybe this was him. Maybe Michael was bisexual.

There's one thing Michael learned about himself, and it's that he liked Luke. He really really really liked Luke. Michael, however, didn't want to label himself yet because all he knew was that he liked Luke. Just Luke, though.

His mind drifted from the topic back to Luke, and he thought about Luke's brothers. The thought that his parents disowned Luke's other brothers infuriated Michael, the fact that there's no trace left of Luke's siblings for him to even track. Getting up and making sure to erase the history, Michael got up and went to the front desk where an older woman sat, face shoved into a book.

“Hi, um,” Michael started, voice quiet. The woman looked up at the sound of his voice, “Do you by any chance have any yearbooks?”

She stared at Michael with side eyes, “May I ask why?”

“Oh, um,” Michael realized what he was asking for was quite creepy, “I have a buddy named Luke Hemmings. He’s a farmer and he asked me to look in the library for his yearbook.”

It was obvious Michael was lying, but the woman just sighed and stood up, guiding him to the kids section. She spoke as she talked, pointing all around her, “We put them in here so no creepy adults go out looking for them. I know the Hemmings very well so I suppose I trust you.”

“Wait,” the bleached blond said, stopping the woman in her tracks when she went to pull out a yearbook, “You don’t happen to know their kids, right?”

The woman sighed and adjusted her specks, proceeding to take out the yearbook and flipped around until she hit a certain page. She scanned the page until it hit “Hemmings” and next to the family name was Ben. “I’ve been in this town for a long time and I remember seeing this boy come in every weekend for his projects in school. He was a real smart boy.” She smile fondly at the picture of the boy, tapping her finger on the boy’s picture. She turned the page a few times, scanned the page and her finger landed on a boy name Jack, “Jack was such a trouble maker. He was the opposite of Ben. Used to come in here and talk talk talk, I’d have to constantly tell that boy to be quiet.” The bell at the front desk rang, so Michael and the librarian looked over at a woman who stood patiently with a book in her hand. The librarian smiled at Michael and patted his back before walking away.

Michael turned from the page with Ben to the page with Jack, and he thought, why? Why could his parents just kick them out like that? 

“I need to tell Luke.” Michael murmured to himself, flipping through the pages to find more pictures of the boys with other students.

 

~

 

Michael noticed when he got back from the library. He noticed Luke not making eye contact with Michael as he was setting the table, and he noticed that Luke actually was looking at him, but only from the back of his head. Every time Michael turned around, he sees Luke turn away quickly, going back to what he was doing. It was almost silly, he was acting like he was twelve. Michael wanted to mention the situation about his brothers, but Luke just wouldn’t talk to Michael. And Michael understood.

Sitting at the table once Liz announced that dinner was ready, Michael took a seat across from Luke and next to his mother, who was placing a napkin on Michael’s lap. The bleached blond rolled his eyes and shooed her hand away and she hissed under her breath.

Once the rest of the family was there, they all turned their attention to Luke, who said he was going to lead the prayer that night as well. Michael wanted to scoff out loud and flip the table over, but he thought against it. That was until his mother cleared her throat before Luke began, “Michael, why don’t you lead tonight?”

Luke just looked up and finally, met eyes with Michael. Quickly averting his eyes from the blond’s, he frantically replied, “No.”

With a small smack on the back of his head, his mother hissed, “Why not?”  Michael broke the bond between their hands and stood up, the irritating chair scraping onto the wood as he looked back at Luke, where his eyes were wide and mouth was parted.

“I’m not—I can’t—…” Michael stuttered, eyes looking at each face at the table desperately searching for some words to come out his mouth, “I can’t do this.”

He stomped out of the house and slammed the screen door shut. The second time he has bailed over something so stupid, over the same stupid boy. The first place he could think of was the pond, but the only problem was that if Luke went out looking for him, he’d know where he was, but he knew that Luke wouldn’t, so he went anyway. Mounting a horse and galloping down the dirt road, he tried to fight the feeling in his throat that would soon force tears to come out of his eyes. He tied the horse to a tree and sat at the same log he and Luke sat at the first time they went there. He pulled his knees to his chest and tucked his face in between them, finally letting out the first sob. Michael’s life at the moment was a mess and he hated it.

He didn’t know how long he was sitting there crying until he heard the sound of galloping and then footsteps. He didn’t want to see his face. Neither of them said anything as Michael remained in his position and he felt Luke towering over him from the side. Luke took the first move.

“You didn’t have to do that,” he started. Michael wanted to laugh at that, but he didn’t. “I didn’t have to ignore you either.”

Michael finally took his head out from his knees and furrowed his eyes at the blond. He knew he looked horrible with his cheeks stained with tears and his eyes red from crying, not to mention the snot that was probably trickling down his nostril. “You’re a fucking jerk.”

Luke looked genuinely sorry, it looked like he witnessed a child getting his candy stolen. He didn’t know what to say after that, he just looked from Michael and then down to his foot where he was tracing random patterns with he tip of his shoe. “I didn’t know how to react.”

“Have you ever kissed a guy?”

“Have you?”

Michael looked down at the pond’s ripples, a blush appearing on his cheeks, “No.”

“Then we’re in the same boat.” Luke pointed out, walking back to his horse. 

“Leaving so suddenly?” Michael mumbled with an unamused tone. He heard Luke let out a small laugh before pulling out a six pack of beer. Michael rolled his eyes and couldn’t fight back the wide grin on his face when Luke gave him the same smile. He walked over to him and handed Michael a beer, taking a seat next to him on the log and setting the rest of the pack behind them.

“Is this your way of apologizing?” Michael asked, popping it open and taking a whiff of it before taking a sip.

“Uh, I guess. I kinda wanna talk before… You know… Chugging down.” Luke said, struggling to open his beer bottle. Michael willingly took it and popped it open without a problem and handed it back to Luke, “I’m not completely off the hook.”

“So?” Michael asked, taking another sip and glancing at the blond, “Do explain.”

Luke sighed before speaking. His eyes traveled all along the pond as he spoke, “I still have trouble accepting myself. It’s not easy, being in a house with religious parents who say gay is a sin and having to accept yourself for something they hate. So when you kissed me, I just—lost it.”

“So you prayed at the table just so your parents wouldn’t suspect a thing.”

“Right.”

Michael bit the inside of his cheek and took another swig of his drink. Nodding, the bleached blond bit his lip as he watched Luke take a sip as well, “I have something to say too.” Luke quirked up his eyebrow and glared at Michael, departing the drink from his lips. “I did research.”

“On?”

Michael didn’t know how to put it. He didn’t want to seem like he invaded Luke’s privacy, so he struggled with his words, “Well, um… I-I… Your brothers—“

“What?” Luke interrupted, fully facing Michael now, “What about my brothers?” Luke’s eyes read eagerness and worry, also anxiety.

“Their names are Jack and Ben. Ben is a couple years older than Jack.”

Luke furrowed his brows and slumped his arms to the side, trying to wrap his mind around the information he was giving him, “How did you find this out?”

“I went to the library and the librarian just so happened to know them.” Michael explained.

“Oh,” Is all Luke replied with, his eyes low now.

Michael gave him a sad smile and rubbed his arm gently, “It’s a step closer to find out where they are.”

Luke only nodded, fumbling with his fingers around the beer bottle, “I just wanna get drunk now.”

Michael smiled at the sudden change in atmosphere, “Great idea.”


	6. Slow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!  
> I'm sorry this has taken forever to update. I got MAJOR writers block for this one, but I managed to fight through it. I did not forget about this story, in fact I just constantly brainstormed for ideas every day. I've been busy busy busy with schoolwork and performances, I feel like I haven't gotten a break!  
> Well, I hope you like this chapter! I know I did!! ;-)))))
> 
> -LPH

Waking up felt like someone was pounding on Michael’s head. What he didn’t expect was to see Luke shirtless, laying over Michael’s legs with drool hanging out of his mouth. The sound of birds chirping around them and the ducks quacking in the pond didn’t help with the pounding either. When he tried to remember the events that happened last night, his face felt hot and butterflies erupted in his stomach. Before chugging down, Luke told Michael he wanted to take things slow. Michael was over the moon when Luke said they would get rolling once the time is right.

 

 

Michael was so lost in his thoughts he didn’t even realize the beautiful boy in front of him stretching and wincing when he yawned, “Fuck,” he muttered, rubbing at his face. He sat up from where he was, pieces of dirt stuck to his bare back, “Where’s my shirt?”

His voice was groggy, probably the most sexiest thing Michael’s ever heard in his life. He could see Luke’s happy trail, the scattered line of golden hairs trailing down to his—

“Hey, Michael?” Michael nearly choked on his spit. “What time is it?”

“Don’t care.” Michael mumbled, laying his back down against the log.

Luke groaned and stood up, and in the process he lost his footing and nearly fell into the water, but caught himself before he could do so, “I care because my parents are gonna wonder where we went and then I’m gonna get slain.” His eyes directed toward the horses, who were on the ground and now fully awake, “Shit, you guys need to eat something.”

“If you wanna get going now then we can go now.” Michael said, trying to stifle a yawn, but failed. Luke was already nodding his head and gathering all the empty beer bottles. His face twisted into a  distorted expression.

“How much did we drink last night?” Luke asked with more of a whisper.

“Enough so that my head is fucking pounding.” Michael groaned, rolling his eyes as he rubbed at his forehead.

Luke was in the process of untying both of the horses from the tree when he says, “You know… We could tell my parents we felt sick. Ate something funny, maybe.”

Michael smirked at that, “Are you breaking the rules, Luke?”

“I’m not,” Luke purposely avoided Michael’s eyes and hopped on a horse, “Hand me the beer bottles, asshole.”

 

They made their way back to the house and snuck back to the stables. Through the window they could see Mrs. Hemmings washing the dishes, so Luke whispered audibly to Michael to pick up the pace in which he carries out Luke’s orders. Returning the horses and giving them the right amount of food and water, Luke pats one of the horses before returning his gaze on Michael, “So?”

“Are we gonna tell your parents our little lie?” Michael asked, stepping closer to the blond.

Luke smirked. “I suppose.”

 

So the next thing they knew it, Luke was back in his bed in the barn and Michael was tucked in his bed, given the fact that they did end up going with the plan that they would tell their parents they felt sick.

“Is that all you need, Michael?” Liz asked.

“Yeah, thanks. I just need to sleep it off and I’ll be fine.” Michael said kindly. Liz smiled back and closed the door behind her.

Michael sighs loudly and sits up on the bed, looking out the small window just above him. He looked to his right and saw the barn. In there, Luke is in his bed. Michael hoped he was thinking about him too.

Sleep took over Michael only minutes later, and when he woke up, it felt like peace was being ripped away from him. He forgave the feeling once he saw who the culprit was. Luke was sat on the edge of the bed next to Michael, staring at the floor below them. Michael sat up and blinked, tilting his head, “Luke?” 

“I want to track down my brothers. I want to know where they are... how they're doing." Luke said suddenly. He looked at Michael, who has his mouth slightly parted.

"Good thing the internet exists."

"We don't have-"

"The library. Let's go to the library." Michael interrupted with a slight smile.

 

So the boys found themselves in the library, hunched over a computer. Michael is sat in the chair while Luke stood over him, his breath brushing against Michael's ear. It made him shiver, but he decided that now probably wasn't going to be a good time to think about how Luke's lips taste or how he would look panting over him-

"There, click on that." Luke beamed, pointing at the screen. His voice startles Michael, who visibly jumps slightly in his chair, "You all right?"

"Yeah, fine." Michael mumbled, clicking on a link that led to a social media account. When the top of the page read, 'Jack Hemmings,' Luke gasped, leaning closer to the screen. There were pictures upon pictures of a man that looked just like Luke, almost identical. There were pictures of him with a girl, who Michael assumed to be his girlfriend. He looked happy, living in a beach city in California.

"That's..." Luke mumbled, scrolling deeper, "Wait."

He lands on a picture of him and another man, arms slung around each other with big smiles on their faces. Jack has a drink in one hand and the other man has a football close to his chest, "Could that be Ben?"

"Lets read comments." Luke suggested, clicking on the comments box and seeing an account name labeling 'Ben Hemmings.' Luke clicked on it and pictures popped up this guy who also looked similar to the brothers, but slightly different. He has a wife and a dog. Photos were mostly him and his wife hanging out with friends, "That's Ben."

Michael sat back in his chair, looking up at Luke with his brows furrowed. He looked relieved, but there was a slight touch of betrayal and hurt in his eyes, "Hey," Michael mumbled, Luke looked down at him, "We can try messaging them?"

"H-how?" Luke asked frantically.

"Look, here. This button lets you chat with them." Michael pointed at a small direct message box, "You wanna type it out?"

Luke nodded, and Michael gets out of the chair to let Luke sit. Taking a deep breath, it seems like Luke knows what to say as he types away. Its only five minutes later when he practically writes out a whole novel and hits send. He does the same for Jack and when he's finished, he looks like he could use a glass of wine. He looks exhausted and emotionally drained, and honestly Michael can't blame him. "Now what?"

"We wait for a reply. It could happen at anytime, so we should check back later tonight." Michael explained, holding out his hand for Luke to take. He takes it, but only for a second and reminds him they're in public and anybody from church could see him. Nodding, they head back to the barn and sit on the loft, sat in front of each other sharing a blanket. Michael shook his head and rolled his eyes, "I'll never get used to this smell."

"Takes years and years of working in and out of here. For me, when you first walk in, the hairs in your nose kinda die but then you get used to the smell. Does that make sense?" Luke asks, a teasing smile on his face.

Michael snorts and leans back on the wood, "It puts a wild visual in my mind, I'll tell you that."

Luke laughs at that and picks at his blanket, smile slowly fading, "You think they'll be happy to hear from me?"

Michael bites his lip and sighs, "Luke, things just happen... I mean... I have no experience whatsoever about any of this and my advice may seem so useless, but I think... deep down, if they're family, they will care about you and they will understand. You were so young, you couldn't have done anything about it."

Nodding, the honey haired boy's cheeks burn a slight tint of pink, "Thank you for doing this. I really appreciate it." Michael feels the stomach ache come back and-oh... They're butterflies, Michael realizes, not a stomach ache.

"I-It's no big deal, really." Michael snickers nervously, scratching the back of his head. There's a sudden tension in the air, it feels really familiar in some way but also quite calming. Michael feels like a sixteen year old again. Then, Luke reaches out and takes Michael's hand in his. He's shy about it, not really looking at Michael directly in the eyes.

"Is this okay?" Luke asks, glancing at Michael shyly before averting his eyes back to the blanket.

"Y-yeah, it's fine." Michael stammers, feeling his cheeks get hot. He must've looked like a fool. He feels Luke rub the padding of his thumb over his, movements delicate.

"Hemmings!" banging on the barn door is heard, and the two separate quicker than lightning. Michael hits his head against a wood beam in the process, wincing. Luke gasps and asks Michael if he's all right as the banging continues.

"Shoot." Luke mumbles, climbing down the latter. He opens the door and Calum is standing there, sweat on his forehead, "What? Couldn't open the barn door yourself, Mr. Handy Man?"

Calum rolls his eyes, "Ha ha, very funny," he steps into the barn and his face distorts from the smell, "You said you had leaks in here you needed to be fixed from the storm?"

"Oh, yeah." Luke says, the kind tone coming back, just like how Michael met him--or, reunited. He guides Calum through the barn, pointing at various spots around the ceiling.

"Hey, Michael! Didn't see you hiding up there!" Calum exclaims when Luke points at in area in his direction. Michael blushes and waves, about to make a snarky remark, but holds it off when Luke sends him a soft smile. It melts Michael's heart.

"Ah, man. This is gonna take like... What? An hour?" Calum groans.

"Quit complaining, you chose this job." Luke waves off, motioning for Michael to follow him out of the barn, in which Michael smiles sheepishly and follows.

 

They spend time at the pond on their day off, talking about life, mindlessly flirting and other things, playing with the dog and soon enough they're back at the library by dark, scrolling through the replies that get send back to Luke. They're positive, and it makes Luke grin with every word. The sight makes Michael happy, seeing how he lights up when he catches up with his brothers. Soon it's time for dinner and they head back to eat.

Dinner is quieter than usual, and Michael and Luke shared glances the whole time. Luke is cutting his steamed potato in half and glances up at Michael with a smile when Liz asks, "How did you rest, dear?"

"Good." Michael replies, "I feel better."

"Michael, would you pour mama another glass of wine?" Karen asks, sliding her glass to her son. Michael silently pours it as the two fathers talk about something related to sports. Handing it back to his mother. The way Luke looks at Michael is so secretive and mysterious, it's like they both have a secret to keep. A lot, actually. A strand of Luke's hair is curled over his forehead as the rest is pulled back. When he smiles at Michael, only one side of his lip curls up. The way he gazes at Michael is so sexy, it makes Michael choke on his food.

"You all right, Michael?" Luke asks innocently, and Michael wants to flip him off so bad.

"Let me get a glass of water for you, dear." Liz says, standing up and fetching a glass from the cupboard.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Michael assured, waving his hand around. Luke remains silent and delicately stabs his fork into a piece of the potato and places it in his mouth, smirk still evident.

"We're going to church in the morning. Get up bright and early, boys." Liz says before placing the glass in front of Michael, who chugs it down.

"Michael, we should go to church more often when we get home. It's so nice! Daryl. Daryl, I'm speaking!" Karen says, and snaps at her husband accordingly.

"Okay, okay!" Daryl laughs.

Michael steps out of his chair, "May I be excused?" he asks as he's already putting his plate in the sink and walking up the stairs.

"Me too." Luke butts in, and Michael's heart races when he makes it up into Luke's room.

"What's up with them today?" Liz asks in a sweet tone.

 

Luke joins Michael while brushing his teeth in Luke's bathroom. Luke is sat on the counter top and Michael and leaned against the doorframe, eyeing the other boy, not sure if he's pissed or infatuated, but either way the stunt he pulled during dinner got him going. Spitting out the toothpaste and rinsing out his mouth, Michael turns to Luke who does the same and eventually smiles at the other boy once he's finished--that jokingly innocent smile.

"What the fuck was that?" Michael asks, shutting the door just in case someone came up to Luke's room and heard their conversation.

Crossing his arms over his chest, the smirk remains on Luke's face. He steps off the counter and takes a step toward Michael, who backs up until he hits the wall. He feels his cheeks flush when Luke speaks, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! What's with that look you pulled all night?" Michael says in an audible whisper, slightly annoyed but sexually frustrated.

"You're asking stupid questions," Luke snickers, leaning over Michael, placing his arm over his head so he's leaned against the wall, towering over the slightly shorter boy.

Michael feels so small suddenly and his cheeks are on fire, and don't even get him started on the stomach, " _You're_ stupid."

Luke rolls his eyes and starts to lean in, nose brushing against Michael's, "Is this okay?" he asks in a soft voice. His breath smells of mint toothpaste and his body smells of the cologne he always uses. The other boy darts his gaze from Luke's eyes to his lips, and he nods eagerly before Luke smashes his lips against his. Michael responds immediately, surprising himself. It's not like they haven't kissed before, except this was real. Michael wasn't going to run away this time. Every scent of Luke engulfs the smaller boy, and Michael can't resist but to reach out and run his hands through his hair, tugging on it slightly. With so little experience, it baffled Michael as to why Luke was so good at kissing.

Pulling apart, Michael pants as he speaks, "What happened to taking this slow?"

Luke furrows his brows, breathless, "You wanna stop?"

"No." Michael interjects, tugging Luke back down to his height, locking his lips with his once again. This time Michael's tongue demands entrance between Luke's lips, in which he happily carries out the silent order. It take's Luke by surprise, but he adjusts quickly and ends up gaining the dominance. When Michael tugs at Luke's hair to bring him closer, if that's even possible, it results in Luke blurting out a low moan. He kisses the side of Michael's mouth and continue to leave a trail of kisses until he settles on his collarbone, peppering the pale boy with kisses and leaving marks wherever he could. Michael bucks his hips forward, his hard on ordering attention. The action makes Luke snicker softly and he finds himself picking up the other boy without breaking their lip lock.

Luke places Michael as delicately as he can on the bed before eagerly climbing on top of him. "What do you want?" Luke asks, leaving kisses along the other boy's jawline.

"Anything." Michael gasps out when Luke gropes his length through his jeans.

Luke sits up slightly, his face redder than Michael has ever seen, "Can I suck you off?"

Michael nearly chokes from the question. "Fuck, Luke," Michael groans, throwing his head back, "Yes! You're killing me here!"

"Shh," Luke shushes, reminding him their parents are downstairs. He straddles Michael, unbuttoning his skinnies and pulling them down impatiently and throwing them somewhere behind him. Michael shudders from the sudden coolness on his legs, but it gets replaced with heat when Luke fondles with Michael's length through his boxers. Michael moans, covering his mouth so he's careful if he's too loud. Luke leaves a peck on Michael's cheek before dipping down next to the edge of the bed and pulls down Michael's boxers. His dick springs free and hits his stomach, the cold air around them making him shiver slightly. Luke notices this, so he leaves a kiss to each of Michael's thighs before cupping his hand around his length. Michael stiffens up a bit, cause its been so long since somebody else has given him attention like this.

"Luke," Michael groans. The said-boy looks up and meets eyes with Michael, lips swollen and cheeks flushed, "I'm gonna cum untouched if you don't do anything."

The honey haired boy pumps Michael once, "That would be funny, wouldn't it?"

Michael doesn't laugh, but instead he groans and rolls his eyes, about to make another sassy remark when Luke takes the tip of Michael's length in his mouth, and the host's eyes widen as he throws his head back onto the bed. Luke goes slow, bobbing his head down a little more each time to get used to the feeling. He's anxious to know how Michael is feeling, so he looks up through his eyelashes to see Michael already looking down at him, mouth covered to make sure his moans don't spill out. Luke manages to reach Michael's base, letting his tongue explore the sides of his cock. Luke does gag a little, so he pulls off for a second before diving back in.

"Fucking hell, Luke," Michael moans, sitting back up and running his hands through Luke's hair. The feeling is euphoric, and Michael would be fooled if Luke said he had no experience, "Luke, I'm gonna... I'm-" Luke doesn't pull off, instead he lets Michael release in his mouth. He manages to swallow the salty substance and then he pulls off of Michael, sitting back on his ass and panting from the absence of air. Michael, too, felt as if he couldn't breathe the whole time, so he too is left there huffing as well.

"Was that okay?" Luke asks, red swollen lips and all.

Michael snickers and shakes his head, "That was... Amazing."

"Oh, I'm glad." Luke says, nervous laughter following after. It's almost as if all of Luke's confidence went down the drain. Michael was about to say something about the bulge in Luke's pants, when there's knocking on the door. Michael and Luke's faces go pale as they frantically search for articles of clothing.

"Luke?" Liz's voice asks. Luke obviously wasn't ready for his mother's voice, and he can't find the words to speak.

"He's in the bathroom!" Michael calls out, shoving his boxers up and soon his jeans after. He ushers Luke into the bathroom, who is panicking and shut the door behind him. Michael hops into bed, pulling the covers over him and opening his Nintendo, as if he was playing it the whole time.

The door opens and Liz still has her apron on. She smiles at Michael, who forces a smile back, "Could you tell him I need him to do the dishes for me? I need to run to the market real fast."

"Yeah, totally, Mrs. Hemmings," Michael nods, and she's walking out of the room, "Thank you for the lovely dinner, by the way."

"No worries, hun." she says before closing the door behind her.

"Luke," Michael shouts, and Luke walks out, a shameful look on his face, "Your mom-"

"I heard her, yeah." Luke interrupts, waving Michael off.

Michael darts his eyes from Luke's face to his evident bulge, "Want me to take care of that?"

Luke scoffs, before walking toward the door, "I am _not_ getting another scare like that." Michael laughs fondly and Luke returns the gesture with a smile. He walks out of the room, closing the door behind him. Michael finds himself smiling like an idiot and staring down at the starting screen to his Nintendo game.


	7. Mon Amour

The next day, Michael is in the shower. It's around four in the morning and the smell of Luke's shampoo and body wash is all he can think of at the moment. When he gets out of the shower, he gets dressed in a button up he borrowed from Luke. Heading downstairs, Luke is setting up the table and Liz is cooking up something good. Michael clears his throat specifically for Luke, who jumps slightly and looks at Michael up and down before resuming what he was doing.

"Thief." he mutters, sending a smirk Michael's way.  

 

"I didn't bring any good clothes, give me a break." Michael rolled his eyes before plopping down in his usual spot. He watches Luke place the silverware in a specific form, followed by the plates, "How was washing the dishes last night?" A blush appears on Luke's cheeks and he rolls his eyes. Before he could answer, Michael's parents stroll in and greet everyone else good morning.

 

The family rolls into the church and takes their seats. Luke is on the end of one of the pews and Michael is sat next to him. Michael looks over at Luke and sees that he's reaching for the bible. "Will He forgive us for our sins?" Michael asks, expecting a reaction out of Luke, which he always receives.

"Shh!" Luke snaps, a laugh following after.

“Boys! Shh!” Liz barks. The pair sit still because when Mama Hemmings is angry, it is in fact scary. The service starts shortly after and all rise. Luke always knows the songs by heart. Lost, Michael flips through pages trying to follow along to the words, but fails, so Luke takes the book as he sings and flips to the correct page, pointing accordingly to where they are in the song.

Michael silently thanks him and it happens to be the most boring hour of his life. Luke is so graceful when walking up and proceeding with he meal sharing portion of the service while Michael is honestly more confused than he’s ever been. Where does he stand? Who is he going to talking to? Does he eat the whole cracker? Will his mother be angry with him if he takes a sip of wine?

They’re sat back down at their seats and the priest starts talking again and at the absolute wrong time, Michael thinks back when Luke was sucking him off last night. It makes him squirm in his seat and his face go red. Looking over at Luke, he’s still facing forward, posture perfect. He side eyes Michael for a second as if he knew what he was thinking.

Michael smirks and trails his hand toward Luke and resting his hand on his thigh. Luke is quick to shake Michael’s hand off of him and he could see the tip of the honey haired boy’s ears go red. Michael doesn’t stop there, however. This time he reaches out and gropes Luke’s dick through his dress pants, and Luke gently and quietly slaps his hand away from his body, “Michael, not here.”

“I just wanted to repay you for last night.” Michael says in a thickly tone.

“I literally just washed away my sins.” Luke mumbles, and Michael is about to laugh out loud when he remembers he’s in a church and his mother will most definitely kill him.

When the mass is over, Michael is quick to grip onto the other boy’s wrist and attempts to hoist him through the crowd. “Luke, hey!” a female voice shouts. Michael rolls his eyes when he sees it's the girl that invited Luke over for dinner the first couple days Michael had arrives.

“Hey, Amber.” Luke says, brushing off Michael’s hand and giving her his full attention. Luke is so respectful as she speaks and smiles and nods along to what she’s saying while Michael just wants Luke all to himself. He doesn’t even know this bitch, who the fuck does she think she is?

“Who is this?” she asks, gesturing toward Michael.

“I’m Michael, really-“

“This is Michael, he’s visiting for the summer.” Luke interjects knowing he’ll say something stupid, slinging his arm around Michael’s shoulders in a very straight-bro way.

“Yeah, I’m here to catch up with his family, do chores around the farm and do favors of whatever is desired.” Michael says, emphasizing the last part. Luke smiles and acts as if he doesn’t think anything of it, but he squeezes Michael’s shoulder in a very, ‘Shut the fuck up’ manner.

“That must be nice, right? I’m glad you like our little town.” Amber beams, looking from Michael to Luke, “Luke, if you’d like, you can bring Michael over for dinner sometime as well. Or at least before he leaves.”

“That sounds lovely. Thank you, Amber.” Luke nods.

She smiles wide and a blush appears on her cheeks, “Well… I should get going now. My family is waiting for me.”

“Nice talking to you, Amber.”

“Always with you, Luke.” she responds before turning around and walking graciously to her family.

Immediately Luke hits Michael in the arm with an eye roll, “You had to say that?”

“She’s so far up your ass.” Michael scoffs, leading Luke toward the back of the church building, “She seems annoying. Does she always stop you after church?”

“Why, are you jealous?” Luke smirks, gripping the collar to Michael’s borrowed shirt. He pushes Michael against the building and hovers his face over his, still clenching onto his shirt.

“No,” Michael lies. Luke closes the gap between them and eagerly kisses Michael, letting go of his shirt and allowing Michael to run his hands through Luke’s hair. He tugs onto Luke’s hair and the said-boy moans lowly.

He breaks the kiss for a second to murmur, “We can’t do this here,” before going back and leaving kisses on Michael’s neck. He sees that he left some marks on Michael’s neck from last night and the other boy tired his best to cover it up this morning.

“Luke! Michael!” Karen’s voice calls out. The two separate instantly and start walking around the building to see Michael’s mom scoping the area. When she spots them she scolds the two, “Where have you boys been?”

“We saw a squirrel back there. It was huge,” Michael says nonchalantly, not looking back at Luke who has blush all over his cheeks. Michael walks with his mom to the car and Luke eventually finds his parents speaking with another family.

 

“Michael, I gotta do this.” Luke says, hoisting up a hay bale into the back of his truck. He bends down to grab another one, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“Come on,” Michael whines, placing his hands on Luke’s back and pulls back immediately when he feels sweat. Luke snickers before throwing up the last hay bale and shutting the back end of the truck.

“I need to deliver these. We had our break, now we gotta get moving again.” Luke explains as he’s opening the drivers seat and hopping in. Michael is quick to run into the passenger seat when Luke starts the engine.

They’re driving down the dirt road when Michael examines the way Luke drives, “When did you start driving?”

“Hm,” Luke mumbles, “When I was maybe thirteen?”

“Sheesh!” Michael exclaims, crossing his arms and looking out the window, "My parents wouldn't trust me on their life."

"My dad taught me," he smiles at the memory, "I crashed the car once."

"And they still let you drive? My god..." Michael mutters, then he thinks of a idea that may be the most dangerous thing he's ever thought of. He turns to Luke with blush on his cheeks, "Ever done road head?"

Luke sends Michael a questioning look, "What's that-"

"Are you a good driver?" Michael asks, leaning over the center console, face close to Luke's.

"I-uh... Yeah?" Luke says, unsure. That's enough information for Michael, as he leans down and starts to unbutton Luke's jeans. Luke squirms suddenly and his voice cracks, "W-what are you doing, Michael?"

"I saw this in a movie once." Michael states, determined. He zips down Luke's sipper and tugs his jeans down slightly.

"Mi-Michael, this isn't a good idea." Luke stammers, face red. Michael looks up through the windshield before returning his attention back down to Luke's crotch.

"You're literally driving straight for miles." Michael grumbles, rubbing at Luke through his boxers. He can feel the man already getting hard and he smiles in victory.

"Shit, this isn't a good idea." Luke curses, leaning his head back onto the headrest, eyes on the road. His eyes widen when he feels Michael's mouth wrap around his dick. Suddenly the world around him feels hot and he mutters profanities when Michael skillfully works his mouth down Luke's shaft. Michael doesn't know where he gets the skill, but he can tell Luke feels good so he is committed to give Luke the best blow of his life. Michael then begins to bob his head pumping what's left at the base since it doesn't seem like he can reach that far because of Luke's size. Luke moans and rubs his hand through Michael's bleached hair. The sound makes Michael's ears perk up and dick twitch. "Fucking hell, Michael."

Michael pulls off to breathe. He looks up at Luke who is scratching Michael's hair and trying to keep his eyes on the road, but he keeps glancing at Michael every once in a while. "Just relax." Michael says before diving back in and trying to take all of Luke into his mouth, but its messy and Michael gags due to the fact that they're driving in a fucking car.

"Michael, I can't-" Luke starts, tugging at Michael's hair and moaning loudly, "Fuck, I'm gonna..." Michael hums on Luke's dick, and that's what gets him releasing into his mouth. Swallowing and coughing, Michael pulls up Luke's boxers and his jeans, zipping them up and buttoning them correctly. He pats Luke's crotch before sitting back in his own seat and sighing.

"Oh, look, we're here!" Michael exclaims a minute later when Luke pulls into a parking spot. Michael jumps out of the car and leaves Luke sitting in his seat, rubbing his hands over his face and trying to catch his breath. When he does decide to get out of the car, however, his knees are wobbly and he leans against the car to catch himself. Michael pops up from behind him, wrapping an arm around the other man, "Can't find the strength to walk? That's normal."

Luke rolls his eyes and lets out a final sigh, "I'm going to hell." Michael guides Luke to the back of the truck, opening the latch revealing the hay bales.

"I'll see you there, then."

 

"All right, twenty, forty, sixty, eighty..." the old man behind the counter counts dollar bills for the hay bales, handing them to Michael.

"Thank you, sir." Michael beams.

"No problem, son. Luke, you feel better, all right?" he says, gesturing toward Luke who is sat at a bench on the side of the room. Luke just waves at the man and offers him a smile before standing up and wobbling out the door. Michael thanks him again before guiding Luke to the car.

"Hey! Luke, Michael!" Ashton's voice chirps, and Luke curses under his breath.

"Hey, Ashton!" Michael jabbers, a big smile on his face.

"Whoa, you're happy today. I like that smile on you, Mike!" Ashton giggles, turning his attention toward Luke, "You, however, what bit you in the ass?"

"Nothing, Ash." Luke forces a smile, and Ashton nods, not bothering to ask.

"Is your family selling over there?" Michael asks, pointing behind him. Ashton glances over his shoulder and nods excitedly.

"Oh, could you do me a favor and taste our honey sticks? My mom made three new flavors and we'd love to get your opinions." Ashton questioned, taking a few steps back to indicate for them to follow.

"Sure! How much?" Michael asks, and he smiles wider when hearing Luke grumble behind him.

"On the house!" Ashton exclaims before walking down the street to his booth.

Michael sends Luke a wink and Luke glares at the other boy as he speaks, "Can't pass up the opportunity, eh, Luke?"

 

"Never again," Luke says, eyes on the road, "We could've gotten killed."

"Don't act like you didn't enjoy it. Hey I really like this rootbeer flavor! I wonder how she did that." Michael mumbles, sucking on the sweet treat, "You know, Luke, I think a new nickname for you could be honey stick. Don't you think?"

Luke tries not to smile so he sucks in his lips and shakes his head, "You're stupid."

" _You're_  flustered."

Luke licks his lips and scratches the side of his head, "Hey, Michael." he says, voice somewhat shaky, Michael hums in response, looking over at the other man, "Could I take you out to dinner sometime?"

That takes Michael by surprise. He had never been on a date before and to hear that coming from Luke is kind of a shocker. They had been exchanging favors as if they've been a couple for a while, but reality hits him when he realizes he _does_ have feeling for Luke and Luke feels the same way. "Oh..."

"Okay, no. Now that you think about it, it's kind of stupid. We're practically living together and we're hip to hip and it wouldn't really matter-"

"No, no. That's a good idea," Michael nods and he can see Luke's adams apple bobbing, about to say something but Michael interrupts, "I feel like all this sexual stuff isn't accompanied by... I don't know, the real thing."

Luke nods, "I agree."

"I like you, Luke. And um... I've never liked a guy before." Michael admits. He finds himself fidgeting with his fingers.

"Really?" Luke mumbles.

"You're the first."

"Are you..." Luke pushes, hinting the big question.

Michael shakes his head, "N-no, I'm not sure actually. All I know is that I like you and um... I-I like you a lot."

Luke can tell he's struggling to talk about it, so Luke nods in understanding, "Me too."

 

Days pass with countless kisses and a lot of complaining from Michael when he was forced to do farm work. The weekend finally rolls by and the pair are driving to a restaurant next to Pete's Pies. Luke made reservations and he looks absolutely ravishing that evening. The space is candle lit with dimmed lights and silky table cloths. They take a seat in their red velvet chairs and the waiter comes by, greeting Luke in the process, asking what they want for a drink. They both settle for water and look over their menus, pointing at anything that might seem good. Looking up from his menu, Michael examines Luke's features. The candle in the middle of the table compliments how golden he looks, his skin and his hair. His eyes are a darker blue at the second due to the lighting, and the freckles around his nose stand out. Luke gets a lot of sun.

Luke notices he's staring and he smiles softly, "What's up?"

Michael blushes and looks down at his menu, "Nothing."

Snickering lightly, Luke licks his lips, Michael noticed it as a habit of his. "I have a question."

"Don't ask what my middle name is." Michael jests, but really he doesn't want to share his middle name.

Luke laughs and shakes his head, "No. Where do you picture yourself in ten years?"

Michael blew a piece of hair falling over his eyes. Damn. "Uh, I don't know."

"Long shot, I know." Luke laughs, taking a sip of his water.

"What about you, Luke?" Michael asks, propping his chin up with his hands, "Where do you see yourself in ten years?"

Luke's smile falls and fidgets with the corner of the menu, "Away from here." Michael's mouth parts slightly, searching for answers, "I don't belong here."

"What do you mean?"

Luke shrugs, "I don't know. It's silly. Right now I fit right in, but deep down... When I want to start a family, I don't want to raise them here. My parents will kill me for saying that, but they'll also kill me for... well... being gay." Michael is about to reach out and take Luke's hand, but the waiter comes back to take their orders. Luke orders pasta and Michael orders simple mac & cheese. Luke smiles at Michael's food choice, "But anyway, what's your middle name?"

Michael rolls his eyes, "Don't even."

"Can't be that bad, can it?" Luke smirks.

"It's fucking bad." Michael snickers.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." Luke winks.

Michael hesitates, groaning a little, closing his eyes, "Gordon," he mumbles. Luke can't help but chuckle. Michael opens back up his eyes and slaps the air between them, "Shut up."

"Gordon? Michael Gordon?" Luke repeats, only to annoy Michael.

"Ah, fuck. Your turn." Michael says, propping his head up while covering his face except for his eyes.

"Robert." Luke reveals, sitting back in his chair with a smile.

Michael quirks his eyebrow, "That's it?"

"That's it." Luke nods.

"That's a good name though!" Michael whines. Laughing, Luke props his head up as well, copying Michael's actions. Michael bites his lip and speaks softly, "You'll be fine in ten years."

"What makes you say that?"

"You just are." Michael predicted, hopes high.

There's silence between them, both content and electric, "I don't want you to leave." Luke says, and it breaks Michael's heart because reality hits him in the face. Michael isn't here to stay.

"Fuck." Michael mutters, staring right into Luke's eyes, "I don't want to leave."

"Stay." Luke murmurs, reaching out to take Michael's hand in his. At this point, he doesn't care who sees, "Stay for at least a year."

Michael winces from the pain in his chest, "You know I can't. I've got university. My mom would kill me if I took a gap year."

"When do you leave again?" Luke asks.

Michael's face goes pale when he realizes how fast time went, "A few weeks. End of August." Michael could see the hurt in Luke's facial expression and the way his posture slumps forward.

He rubs the pad of his thumb against the other boy's fingers, "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you, too." Michael croaks, and soon the boys break their hands free when the waiter comes back with their food.

 

A few days go by, and the pair are working in the barn. Michael is feeding the animals and Luke is milking the cows. When Michael is finished, he hops behind Luke and pecks his ear, and the other boy whines before shoving him away with his shoulder. Michael ignores his pleads to leave him alone and he looks over the bucket instead, "Hurry up, I want pie."

Luke chuckles at that. Luke promised Michael they would grab an apple pie from Pete's and share it for lunch. "Be patient. She's almost done." Luke says, running his hand across the cow's body before continuing to milk her. When he finishes, he twists around the stool with the bucket and hoists it up, "Let me take this inside and I'll wash my hands. Then we can get going, okay?" Michael nods and watches Luke walk out of the barn with the steel bucket. Michael stretches his arms with a smile and his nose scrunches up when he hears one of the pigs squeal.

One minute turned into five, and five turned into ten. Confused, Michael hurries out of the barn and into the house to check if everything is all right, and what he sees when he steps up the porch and opens the door is shocking. Jack and Ben are sat at the dining table and Liz has her arms crossed with Andy's arm wrapped around her. Luke is standing on the side with an expression Michael can't read. From what Michael can recall, his parents said they would be somewhere downtown. So in this case, it's very awkward for Michael. They see Michael walk in, so the two brothers nod at him as a greeting. Liz clears her throat. The tension is strong in the room and Luke begins to bite his nails, what Michael also noticed is a habit of his.

"I don't understand why you two came back." Liz says, tone different from how Michael ever heard her.

"Luke reached out to us." Jack says, and Ben nods next to him, "So we caught a flight here that was convenient for the both of us."

Liz shoots a glare at Luke, and the honey haired boy shrivels up when she speaks, "How did you find out about them?"

Michael's face goes pale, because it's _his_ fault. _He_ told Luke about his brothers and _he_ encouraged him to reach out to them. Luke glances at Michael before averting his eyes to his beat up shoes, "I asked the librarian. She gave me old yearbooks and I found a way to contact them on the computers." Luke lies, and Michael wants to say something, to protect him from getting hurt any further.

"It's not fair, mom. Hiding us from Luke," Ben explains, "It's... disgusting."

"Boys, it's time for you to leave. We need to have a talk with Luke." Liz snapped, "Luke, up to your room."

"I am _not_ a kid anymore." Luke backfires, and holy shit, Luke has never talked back at his mother before, "You can't... You can't hide family from me! All this time, I felt so lonely and my whole life was work, work, work. I dropped out of school for this, mom!"

"Luke Robert, I will not ask you again." Liz warns, and Andy grips on her shoulder to calm her down.

"Luke, just come with us." Jack says.

"He will not go with you!" Liz fumes.

"You kept us hidden his whole life! I got fucking married, mom!" Ben shouts.

"Luke," Jack says, standing up and walking toward his brother, "What do you think about all this? Mom lying and all... What about us? What about your relationship with us? Your brothers?"

"Stop manipulating him!" Liz yells, "Luke, you're staying here. No questions asked!"

"I am _not_ a toy to be fought over! I'm a human being!" Luke roared, panting from the overwhelming amount of feelings he was coming across. He looks up at Michael and huffs for a few seconds before walking toward him and taking his hand, "Come on, Michael."

Soon enough Michael is being dragged out of the house by Luke, and the yelling starts to fade further and further away as they hop into the truck. Luke speeds off, a puff of dust being left behind them. It's silent the whole drive there and Luke even angrily turns off the radio. Michael doesn't know what to do in this situation so he reaches out and places his hand over Luke's on the gear lever. Luke's facial expression doesn't change. Michael licks his lips and his voice is quaking slightly, "You wanna talk about it?"

Luke lays his head on the headrest and lets out a long sigh, "There's nothing to talk about."

"They came back for you."

"There's nothing to talk about," Luke repeats, voice coming out more aggressive. That silences Michael. He takes his hand away from the honey blond and crosses his arms, looking out the window.  All they're passing is what looks like desert and in the horizon he sees the strip of shops. Eventually Luke parks in a space in front of Pete's and rubs at his face. They sit there for what felt like hours, until Luke turns toward him, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It's overwhelming." Michael assures, reaching out and rubbing the back of Luke's head. He looks tense, there's tears welling up in his eyes and he refuses to let himself look at Michael, "It's okay to cry." When Luke lets out another long sigh and it all comes rushing out, the tears and the sobs. Michael leans over the center console and brings Luke into a tight hug and Luke buries his face into Michael's neck.

"I don't know what to do." Luke cries. Michael rubs soothing circles along Luke's back.

"Give it some time." Michael suggests.

"I don't want to go home right now." Luke sniffles, shaking his head. Michael pulls them apart slightly and leans his forehead against his, cupping the other boy's face.

"Is there anywhere we can go?" Michael asks, rubbing Luke's tears away with his thumbs.

Luke thinks for a second before replying, "There's an inn right at the end of the street. Could we spend the night there?"

"Whatever you feel like will calm you down, we can do that." Michael nods, and Luke smiles gratefully.

"Can we still get pie?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

 

The two check into a room and it's not the most glorious thing in the world. The woman behind the desk says there's no more separate beds for them, seeing they're both boys, so they have to share. It's not like that could be a problem at all. They're both sat on the bed and the box of pie is between them as they eat it in comfortable silence. There was a point where Michael flinches and fans himself because when he was the first to dig in, it ended up being too hot and fresh out of the oven.

They spend the rest of their night talking softly until they're both under the covers and it's 7 PM. They're facing each other and Michael has his fingers brushing along the side of Luke's face. He hesitates to speak up, "Why did you lie about finding your brothers?"

Luke licks his lips and focuses his gaze on Michael's bare shoulder, "To protect you."

"I don't need to be protected. If anything, I'm the last person who needs protection." Michael shakes his head, tracing patterns on Luke's chest.

"What makes you say that?" Luke asks, furrowing his brows.

Michael shrugs, "I'm already a piece of shit, I'm used to the punishments by now."

"Michael," Luke sighs, "You're not a piece of shit."

Michael smiles sadly, "You didn't have to do that. You just dug yourself into a deeper hole."

"I don't care. You don't deserve to be dragged into this." Luke mumbles.

"I want you to tell them it was me." Michael whispers.

"No, Michael." Luke frowns.

"Why is it so hard for you?"

"Because I love you." Luke blurts, and his whole face turns red. Michael's heart rate picks up and his stomach goes crazy with fireworks. Luke hesitates to speak, "I-I-uh... Yeah." he stammers, avoiding Michael's eyes. The bleached blond blushes and he can't find the words to respond.

"Sorry, um..." Michael sputters, "I-I don't know how..."

"It's fine." Luke says, turning around and laying so that his back is to the other boy. Michael feels like his head is spinning. He doesn't want Luke to get the wrong idea, because the blowjobs and butterflies meant a lot to him. A fucking lot, he may add. So much has happened today that Michael can't find a way to process this all and separate them all into files.

"No, Luke," Michael starts, wiggling closer to the other boy until his arms wrap around him. Luke flinches. "I love you too."

Luke turns back around and their faces are only centimeters apart, "You mean it?"

"Yeah, idiot," Michael snickers, "No one has ever told me that, I was just taken aback."

"Bullshit." Luke murmurs, "Not even your parents?"

"I haven't gotten one of those since I was a little boy." Michael says, looking down at Luke's chest, "They love me in some way, I'm sure. They show it by putting a roof over my head and... ordering me pizza... But I never really hear it out loud and overtime I hear those words being said to someone else, it shocks me."

Luke pushes out his lower lip and wraps his arms around Michael so that their foreheads are touching and their breathing is mixed. "You won't feel isolated from that feeling anymore. I can promise you that."

It's Michael's turn to cry now. He probably looks ugly when he does cry. "I don't want to leave."

"No, no." Luke says softly, peppering Michael with kisses all along his face, "Lets cherish this, okay? The time we have left together. It's not goodbye, after all. It'll only be a long time."

"Fuck that." Michael whimpers, sniffling, "I wanna lay here with you forever."

"That's gay." Luke jests, and Michael sticks his finger up Luke's nose.

"Shut up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is all going too well... ;\\\


	8. A Gap in the Universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm v sorry for the smut overload ;///

Michael lays next to Luke wide awake as the other boy is fast asleep, head laying on Michael's bare chest. Michael looks down at Luke's sleeping face and pecks his forehead and the man stirs slightly before opening his eyes slightly. He squints because of the dimmed light on Michael's side and he lets his eyes adjust. "Hey," he greets, rubbing his eyes. He looks around at his surroundings for a second before realizing where they are and he laying his head back down, nuzzling his face back onto Michael, "What time is it?" he mumbles.

"Like two in the morning," Michael replies, twirling his finger around a strand of Luke's golden locks.

"Why are you up?" Luke asks, voice groggily.

"Can't sleep." Michael replies. He sounds tired, but his mind isn't.

Luke nods and locks his hand in Michael's, "What are you thinking about?"

"You." Michael responds, looking down at him and then looking up at the ceiling.  Luke hums and traces patterns on Michael's chest, "I'm gonna miss you." he continues.

Luke looks up at the other boy, eyes still half closed and leaves a lazy kiss to the side of his mouth. He plops his head back down and blinks slowly as he speaks, "Why didn't I meet you sooner?" Michael shrugs lamely. There's a comfortable silence for a second while they're just laying there, embracing each other.

"Luke," Michael starts and Luke hums, "I want to have sex with you before I leave." Luke looks up to him, and if he were more wide awake, he would probably be flustered and panicky, but in the state that he's in, he rubs his eyes and sits up casually.

"What?" he answers with a thick tone. Michael gets a better look at him and his hair is messy and his blue eyes are still halfway closed.

Michael sits up on his elbows, "Fuck me." Blush appears on Luke's cheeks and it makes Michael smile. That's the Luke he knows.

"O-oh, um... Check the drawers. See if they have any stuff." Luke orders, voice still raspy from sleep. He watches Michael twist to the side and hang his upper body off the bed while digging through the drawer, lower side still covered by the blanket. Seconds later he throws a small bottle and a wrapped condom onto the bed. He plops himself back down onto the bed, rubbing at his face when Luke presses a kiss onto his cheek, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Michael nods, cupping Luke's cheek lazily with his hand, "I want to feel attached."

Luke smiles sadly at his love and climbs on top of him. He hovers his face over Michael's cupping his face with both hands. He runs his thumbs over Michael's soft, pale face, taking in every flaw he has, and thinking that they are absolute perfection. He runs one thumb over Michael's lips and the boy parts them slightly. Delicately, Luke dips his thumb in a bit and lets Michael kitten lick it, before pressing kisses to Luke's hand. Luke hums and replaces his hand with his lips, softly attaching his with Michael's. There's nothing aggressive about it, it's just pure and fragile. "Mike," Luke murmurs, closing his eyes as Michael moves his lips down to Luke's neck. Luke pulls away and Michael looks confused, then Luke dips under the covers and removes Michael's underwear.

"For fucks sake," Michael groans, putting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. He feels the wet warmth of Luke's mouth wrap around him which causes Michael to buck his hips forward. Luke works Michael up so much that he's on the edge, so he places his hand on Luke's cheek and soon he emerges from under the covers and attaches his lips with Michael's again. Michael lets Luke place kisses on his neck, nibbling on the sensitive skin around his collar bone as he speaks, "Do you know what to do?"

Luke looks up and blushes innocently, "I have an idea?"

Michael smiles, "I'll walk you through it," Michael sits up and takes the bottle of lube, popping open the cap, "You're gonna put this on your fingers," he instructs, squirting just a bit in his hand. He rubs his hand against Luke's so that the gel warms up and it isn't too harsh on Michael's skin, "You need to add more every time so when you actually put yourself in me, it won't hurt as bad," he explains, and he levels Luke's index finger with his hole, "You're gonna stretch me out so that I can get used to your size."

Luke nods to every word Michael says, face red. Luke works slow, just how Michael directed. He presses his finger against Michael's hole, and the said boy winces slightly when a part of Luke's finger enters him, "Is this okay?"

"Y-yeah, just go slow." Michael nods, reaching out and pulling Luke in for a kiss. Luke doesn't pay attention for a second when he accidentally pushes his finger in too fast, and Michael yelps against his lips.

"Shit, fuck, I'm sorry-"

"It's fine, it's fine." Michael snickers, "Move your finger now."

"Just...?" Luke mumbles, doing what Michael says. Michael nods quickly.

"Yeah-shit. Wow." Michael says, closing his eyes when he gets used to the feeling, "Add another."

Luke does as he says and adds a little more of the lubricant to his fingers before slowly pressing in another. Michael winces and throws his head back as a reaction to the foreign sensation. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just..." Michael pants, "Move them." Luke does, he goes slow and scissors his fingers around Michael and starts to work a rhythm. Michael has his eyes closed and he's nodding, letting out small puffs of air. There comes a point where Luke hits a certain spot and Michael moans, arching his back slightly. It scares Luke and he thinks he does something wrong, but Michael mutters, "Do that again."

Luke tries to recreate what he did before, and when he does, Michael moans louder and his toes curl up, "Another?"

"Mhm," Michael nods, panting now. Once all three fingers are in Michael, he's basically fucking himself against the other boy and he tells him no more. When Luke takes his fingers out, it's a feeling Michael isn't fond of because of the absence, "Where's the condom?"

Luke frantically looks around the bed and finds it, opening it up. He slides it on and takes the bottle, lathering himself up along with Michael, just to be sure he can go in smoothly. He lines himself up with Michael, face hovering over his. Michael nods and attaches their lips, wrapping his arms around Luke's neck to pull him closer. Luke starts to work himself into Michael slowly, and he winces, the sudden stretch and shot of pain taking him by surprise, "Tell me when to move." Luke breathes once he bottoms out.

They lay there for a few minutes, breath mixing until Michael nods when he's ready, and Luke moves at a slow pace. Michael's eyes are screwed shut as Luke leaves kisses over every inch of his face to try to comfort him. It takes time until Michael lets Luke pick up the speed, and soon Michael is whimpering with every thrust Luke gives him. There's a point where Luke pins Michael, hands locked together while he moans against Luke's mouth, "I love you," Michael manages to say. It's breathy, accompanied by a moan when Luke hits _that_ spot.

"I love you too. I love you so much." Luke replies just about the same. Their lips are constantly attaching and detaching when Luke decides to suck on the sweet spot just below Michael's jaw.

"Luke, I'm so close." Michael whimpers. Detaching one hand, Luke brings it down to Michael's length and strokes it, and that sends Michael off, arching his back and a shaky mess. His body goes limp and he's panting, Luke following after with a groan. He collapses over Michael, the two boys laying there in contentment. Luke is the one to get up and throw away the condom, along with fetching a small towel to wipe off the cum on Michael's chest. Michael watches as Luke walk in and out of the bathroom before snuggling close to Michael, rubbing at his sides in a warm manner. He nuzzles his nose into Michael's cheek. He could respond about how he felt, but he's too fucked out just as much as Luke is. He and Luke make a silent agreement that it was perfect, according to the smiles they send each other before letting sleep take over them.

 

Luke wakes up. Through the curtains he can see daylight and he squints until his eyes adjust. He feels a body next to him, warm and pleasant. Michael lays next to him head on his chest and his breathing is steady. He's drooling a bit, and Luke chuckles at the sight. Reality hits him then, and he has one more week with Michael. It seems as if Luke's thoughts are too loud when Michael stirs next to him, soft noising coming out of him when he opens his eyes. He looks up at Luke and wipes the drool away from his mouth, making a foul expression, "Ugh, sorry."

"It's okay." Luke smiles, kind. Luke is kind.

"My ass hurts." Michael snickers with slight embarrassment. His cheeks are tinted with a faint pink.

Luke runs his hand through Michael's hair and pecks his forehead, "Can you walk?"

"Yeah, yeah." Michael nods, waving off the boy before sitting up and wincing slightly, "It's gonna take time to adjust. The second time won't be as bad, I bet."

Luke smiles sadly, "I'm sure." Michael changes into Luke's shirt. It looks better on him, maybe Luke would let him keep it while he's away. The thought only makes Luke sadder.

"How do you feel now?" Michael asks, sitting in front of Luke, who is now propped up onto the bed.

Oh. Luke forgot why they were there in the first place, "I um... I completely forgot. We've been so-"

"Are you glad?"

"What?"

"Are you glad you forgot."

"Oh," Luke mumbles, "Yeah."

Michael smiles and it's genuine, "I'm glad I could help."

Luke smiles back and nods slowly, eyes on the bed sheets, "Come here."

Michael does. He crawls over to Luke and the honey haired boy pulls him in for a kiss, and when they part, Michael furrows his brows, "You all right?"

"No." Luke replies, laughing hysterically until tears fall out of his eyes. Michael is quick to straddle him into a hug. Luke is strong, he wraps his arms around Michael so tightly. Michael presses kisses to Luke's neck, shushing him, "You're all I have."

"This isn't goodbye." Michael says, pulling away from the hug. He looks at Luke's watery blue eyes intensely, searching for any sign of hope, "This isn't goodbye." he repeats.

Luke sucks in his own lips and closes his eyes, nodding, "Yeah." he croaks, "We should head home soon."

 

The road is bumpier than Michael thought. He feels all sorts of painful sensations when Luke hits a rock in the ground. The ride is as silent as it was on the way there, except the air seems weightless. Time is really on their side. Luke parks sideways between the house and the barn like he usually does, and he sits back in his chair and sighs loudly. Just as he's about to say something, Andy is banging on his window, voice muffled.

Luke opens the car door and is immediately yanked out, grabbed by the collar. The sight makes Michael want to scream out. Luke looks exhausted out of his mind and he accepts it when he gets pushed into the house. Karen and Daryl come running out seconds later when Luke gets thrown into the house and do the same for Michael. For at least an hour they're sitting at the dining table being scolded at for stealing the car and not mentioning their whereabouts. All Michael cares about is how Luke is feeling throughout this situation and his chest aches at how badly he wants to hold his hand.

Ben and Jack had left, apparently the fight got nastier when Luke stormed out. They gave Liz their addresses so that Luke can contact them but of course she threw them away, little does Liz know that the internet exists and Luke can contact them anytime. Liz informs Luke and Michael that they'll attend church in a couple days to wash away their sins, but also to be punished. The parents seem on board for this plan.

"This doesn't mean you have learned your lesson." Liz reminds them, voice stern, "You two should get to work now."

 

They're back in the barn in Luke is milking cows while Michael sweeps the ground next to him and takes care of animal droppings. They're silent, because there isn't much to say. When Michael goes to wash his hands behind Luke, the honey haired boy speaks softly, not looking back at him, "You should spend the night with me for the rest of the week."

"Will we get in trouble?"

"Probably."

"Yeah, sure."

 

Michael leaves tomorrow morning. All the emotions build up into Michael the couple nights before and he can't stop crying with Luke on the loft. Separation anxiety hits him hard and by the time they're at church, Michael's eyes are puffy and so are Luke's. The two sit in the very front row, especially forced by their parents. It's the first time Michael sees Luke not utter a single word during mass. They're both staring blankly in front of them. When it's over, Luke takes Michael behind the church where they were before. It's a special place for the two of them to recover and unwind from the long hour they spent reciting biblical references or to simply enjoy each other's company. Except they don't know what to call it in this case.

They're in each other's arms, whispering sweet nothings and 'I love you's'. It's when they start crying again that Luke cups both Michael's cheeks and attaches his lips to his, passionate with no regrets. Except when they hear a gasp, they break apart their lips, not their embrace, and turn to the source to see Amber, her hands over her mouth in shock. It's Luke's turn to break free and helplessly beg her to 'wait,' but she scurries away.

Luke starts huffing, and Michael goes to comfort him but Luke shakes his head and pushes him away, running off to find the girl. Michael's heart deflates when he peeks over the corner and sees him trying to talk her out of what she saw, but she's yelling and causing a scene, and Luke looks horrible enough when he receives mortified stares.

They know Luke's secret.

Before he knows it, Amber is pointing in Michael's direction, and his face goes pale when everybody turns to him, including his parents. Luke looks helpless next to her, slumped over, messy hair and teary eyes. He's mumbling something to her but she ignores him, holding her gaze onto Michael. Everything feels like slow motion when Karen grabs Michael by the ear and drags him to the car. Michael winces at the harsh pain he's receiving, but he accepts it.

"We're leaving now." Karen fumes, buckling her belt as fast as she can, "And we're never coming back."

"Mom," Michael croaks.

"Don't!" she shouts, "Don't say a word!" Michael breaks down when the engine starts and he looks back to see the crowd dispersing slowly, and Luke's mother is pushing him hardly toward their truck.

When they get back to the house, Karen is fishing their bags and shoving them into the trunk carelessly. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Minutes later, the Hemmings family arrives and Luke quickly gets out of the truck and rushes into the barn. Liz yells after him, telling him to come back to explain himself but Luke slams the barn door shut behind him. Michael can't describe the level of pain he's feeling. Liz is stomping over now, pointing aggressively at Michael, "You corrupted my son!"

"I'm sorry," Michael mumbles.

"Sorry!" Liz scoffs, looking at Andy, "He's sorry!"

"Liz, did you have to make a scene like that?" Daryl asks.

"I'm sorry," Michael repeats.

"Our sons did that to themselves! Did you two really think you two could get away with this? God is always watching!" Karen adds on.

"I'm sorry," Michael rasps, covering his face in his hands.

"Where's Luke? Luke!" Liz demands, rushing all over the place.

Karen huffs and shakes her head, grabbing Michael by the wrist so his face is exposed and drags him into the car, "We're leaving now," she slams the door shut on Michael, who winces at the harsh sound. He can hear Liz saying things like, 'I'm a failure as a parent, Karen,' and 'Was my son always like this?'

They say their final goodbyes and apologies that are as genuine as they can get, it disgusts Michael. Daryl and Karen finally get into the car and when the engine starts, the barn door swings opens and Luke runs out. Michael feels like he can't breathe when Luke opens Michael's door and tugs him out. He hugs him tightly and Michael returns the favor. They have their faces buried in each other's necks, Luke's sobbing is louder than he's ever heard him before.

"I'm sorry." Michael wails for what felt like the millionth time.

"Write to me," Luke sobs, cupping Michael's face, "I love you, write to me."

Michael nods rapidly and chokes on his words, "I love you too." Luke grins sadly, a stream of tears falling down his cheeks when he kisses Michael goodbye, and he swears he hears Liz gag behind them.

"Enough, Luke." Liz hisses, grabbing her son's wrist and breaking their bind, "Bye, Michael," she growls before closing the door on him. Karen makes Daryl drive out of there as quickly as possible, so when he does, Michael looks back and sees Luke already looking at him while Liz is flailing her arms around, mouth moving swiftly as she scolds him. Soon he fades with the fields of gold.

 

Two weeks. Two weeks without Luke and not a single word he has spoken to his parents. Karen won't even look at him. Daryl stands in the middle, not sure if he should support his wife or his son, so he chooses to stay out of it. Karen yells at him for that. Michael goes to check the mail everyday, hoping he gets a letter, and when he does, he stares at the handwriting on the front for a long while before opening up its contents and reading over it more than he can count on his fingers. Michael remembers the first letter he received from Luke. He was anxious to open it, but eventually when he did, he slept with it under his pillow days after that, along with his other letters he receives from Luke weekly.

_Dear Michael,_

_I don't know how to start this. I'm just going to write what I'm thinking, what I'm feeling._

_It's bittersweet, mostly bitter. What we have is something I want to cherish, no matter how my family reacts. My mother refuses to go to church now. My dad feels just the same. I want to contact my brothers so I can get out of here, and maybe that will be my ticket to see you. It's just a thought, not a plan. Hopefully it turns into a plan. I hope they don't think I'm weird for being gay. I don't know what I'm saying anymore. I feel like I'm going crazy. Calum comes over sometimes to talk because apparently the news got to him. I'm not surprised, It's a small town. Whenever I make deliveries, I feel like everybody is staring at me. I don't want you to feel guilty for this. God, I didn't want you to get involved in the first place. I love you too much for that to happen to you._

_I want to feel you again._

_I miss your touch and I miss your voice. You have such a unique voice. I caught you singing in the shower one time, but I never said anything. I hope that doesn't creep you out. I can't lose you._

_When I say you're all I have, I mean it. I feel like nobody can understand me as much as you do. I can't picture myself with somebody else. What we have is special. I want it to remain that way. We did not establish our relationship and that's fine, as long as I know you love me, I'm content. I love you. I love you, I love you._

_Please write back. I need a part of you with me. I want this gap in the universe to be filled._

_Endless love,_

_Luke_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao you guys i watched 'call me by your name' in the theaters with my best friend and it was SO GAY and SO GOOD you should definitely watch it ! the cinematography was BEAUTIFUL and now i wanna live in italy ;\\\


	9. Endless Love

Michael does write back. He has trouble saying what he needs to say, but he manages. After the first few letters from Luke a week, the letters begin to come to an end. It breaks Michael's heart. So he sulks in his room most of the days until he's able to go to college. Karen comes into his room one day and cringes at how messy it is, not to mention the smell. She plugs her nose and blurts out a, "Yuck!" she places her hands on her hips and stares at her son who is reading over the letters Luke sent to him, "Get off your butt and do something for once. Get a job!"

Michael doesn't respond. He sinks deeper into his bed and mumbles a, 'leave me alone.'

"What are you reading?" Karen asks, walking over and snatching the papers. She skims over them before throwing them back at Michael in disgust, "Get rid of those."

"W-what?" Michael stammered, gathering them up again and pulling them close to his chest.

"Get rid of them. You can't get involved with him anymore. You are the reason why their reputation is ruined in that town! How could you come onto Luke like that? When did you become gay?" she yells.

"I didn't _become_ gay!" Michael screams, face red. He pants and he feels his throat close up on him, "I _love_ him. He's a good person."

"He's too old for you." Karen spits.

"He's only a couple years older."

"He's _a boy!"_

"What, so I can't love him just because he's a boy? Is that it? If I met a girl while I was there would you still be angry at me?" Michael asks, sitting up and putting the papers aside. He looks at his mom in a way where he's never looked at her before. Pure anger and disgust, "I want you to know something, _Karen._ I'm gonna get out of here and Luke is gonna come with me, and we're going to get married and start a family," he shoots, except his heart sinks when he realizes it might not happen, since he hasn't gotten word from Luke.

Karen scoffs and laughs at that, shaking her head, "Now you're just being childish."

"We're gonna get a house in fucking... California! With his brothers! And it'll just be me, him and his brothers with their families spending Christmas and Thanksgiving all together. Without you and without Luke's parents. How does that feel? Do you want to throw me away like Liz did to her sons? If you want that, you fucking got it. Congratulations."

"Good luck with that. California costs more than our lives combined." Karen points out.

"I'll live in a fucking car if I have to. As long as I'm away from you." Michael hisses. He folds the letters and puts them in his wallet before putting on his shoes and finding a random jacket on the floor.

"Where are you going now?" Karen jeers.

"To find a job so I can make all this happen." Michael concludes and he slams the door shut behind him.

 

Luke cries everyday. One thing he learned about himself is that he's a very emotional person. Ever since Michael left, it's been just that. Tears. Liz plans on kicking Luke out since he already jeopardizes the family business. She explains it many times. She tells him to join his brothers in California but she doesn't bother to help him get there. Luke feels like he's stuck in a hole. He hasn't received a letter from Michael in weeks, no matter how many times he tries to send them, he doesn't get one back. Luke starts to lose hope, he wants to lash out and scream at the world. He's actually done it multiple times. He rides to the pond where they shared their first kiss and floats in the water, staring up at the trees hanging over him and tries not to lose his temper, but in the end he always does. He feels like a piece of his heart was ripped away from him.

It takes at least a month for Luke to find out that letters were in fact, being sent to him. It's just that Liz manages to steal them before he can. One day Luke sits by on the porch, waiting for the mail man to come. When he does, he hands Luke the mail and walks away. Luke is quick to skim through the mail until he comes across one in a mint green envelope with his name written in sloppy writing. Luke covers his mouth and grins, tears welling up into his eyes. He drops the rest of the stack and hurries to open the letter on his way to Calum's house. When he does walk in, he's greeted by Calum's mother and tells him Calum is in the backyard working on a car. Luke is already halfway through the letter when he nearly falls on his face from tripping over Calum's toolbox.

"Luke?" Calum questions, rolling out from under the car and sitting up. He has grease on his forehead and cheeks. Luke takes a seat on the ground next to him and he can't find the words to explain himself, but he gestures to the letter and breaks down. Calum looks at Luke before raising his eyebrows at the letter, "He has been writing to you after all?" Luke just nods, burying his face into his hands.

"He has been this whole time." Luke croaks. His hands are shaky as he reads over his words once more.

_Luke,_

_You haven't written back to me in a month. I'm starting to get worried. Are you sick of me? Please reply. I need to know. I can't keep my hopes up about this if you don't want it. My heart aches whenever I read over the letters you sent me. I sleep with them under my pillow and keep them in my wallet everywhere I go. I can't bare to read the words you sent only to find out that they aren't true. I miss you._

_I don't want to face reality, and I hope that when you read my letters you were fond of my plan, fond that I am so eager to see you again._

_I'm sending you this because I want answers, and I want you to be updated. I love you too much, I feel like you deserve to know. I got another job finally. I'm saving up to get out of here and move to California. It's a state of opportunity and acceptance. I hope I get great opportunities and am accepted for who I am, unlike how it is in my own home._

_I want your feedback on my plan. Please write back. I love you._

_Michael_

"You stopped writing to him?" Calum asks.

"Because I thought he stopped writing to me." Luke sobs, "My mom... I'm sure she takes the letters and throws them away. Think about all the things Michael said to me, thrown away."

"You have to let him know." Calum says the obvious, and it makes Luke want to scream. He doesn't. Instead, he cries in his hands some more. Calum thinks, long and hard as he rubs comforting circles into Luke's back. He stretches his neck so he can peek through the side yard, and in the distance he can see his own mailbox, "Hey... Luke. I have an idea."

 

Michael clocks out of his shift and takes off his hat, walking out of the fast food restaurant. He cringes when he sniffs his shirt. It smells of grease and sweat. He plops into the drivers seat and heads home, rubbing at his face with puffy eyes. Sleep has been foreign to him because not only does he spend the whole night thinking of Luke, work has him by the ass. He postponed college, and his parents were pissed, however it was what Michael wanted if he needed to get out as soon as possible. In the morning he has to wake up and go to his next job, where he works as a waiter at a fancy restaurant downtown. He has no idea how he got the job, but it's a great pay and Michael seems to manage well with the customers.

He parks in he driveway and walks to his door. The air is cold since fall has rolled in. Michael can even see his breath. He opens the door to his home and is greeted with silence. Right. His parents are out at a friend's house for a wine tasting party. Michael scoffs and hangs his hat up onto the coat rack, along with his apron. 

_"Michael, when you get home, grab the mail." Karen shouts._

Her voice echoes through his head and groans loudly before grabbing the keys in the small glass bowl by the door and walks back out. He unlocks the shared mailbox and his eyes widen when he sees a familiar envelope and handwriting that makes his heart pick up. It's from a different address, but from the same town Luke is in. Anxious, he leans against the mailbox and opens the letter to be greeted with Luke's blue ink and beautiful cursive.

_Dear Michael,_

_I'm so sorry. I'm so so so so so sorry. I can't even begin to express how sorry I am. I haven't been writing back because I thought you weren't writing back to me, well it turns out you have been. Every week. Like we promised. My mother has been taking the letters and throwing them away before I can get a chance to look at them. So from now on, please write to this address. I'm receiving these letters and sending them through Calum's mailbox because he generously offered. It seems as if him and Ashton are the only ones with their heads on their shoulders. They're the reason why I'm still surviving in this town._

_I need you to tell me everything that you wrote in the letters you sent to me. I need to know everything about how you are and how you're managing. Are you eating? Are you sleeping? What jobs do you have? How many? Please don't overwork yourself._

_I love you and I hope you get this soon. I need to know you're okay and I need you to know that you're all I think about night and day. I love you so much. I love you, I love you, I love you._

_Endless love,_

_Luke_

Michael feels like he can breathe again. He grins happily and holds the letter close to his chest. He can feel his heart beating fast. It only makes Michael want to work harder. He shuts the mailbox and throws the letters onto the doorstep before running into the middle of the cul de sac and falling onto his knees. The sky is a dimmed blue and the sun in the distance disappears over the hills. Michael feels tears fall from his eyes as he grins to the sky, "Thank you," he sobs, kissing the letter and squeezing the paper tightly with his hands.

 

The next week, Luke runs out of the house quickly, petting the dog on his way. He runs to Calum's mailbox and opens it so he can fetch out a letter from Michael. He sighs happily when he sees the letter and his usual handwriting. Luke closes the mailbox and leaves the remaining mail in there for the Hood's. Luke puts the letter in between his belt and rides the horse down to the pond where he sits on their log, eagerly tearing open the envelope and unraveling the letter. His hands are shaky as he reads it over.

_Luke,_

_I am so happy you replied. I got on my knees and screamed at the sky. I know that's something you would do. Everything? Do I have to go over everything? Where do I start?_

_I'm working two jobs. I work at a fast food joint and a fancy eatery with candles and velvet chairs, similar to where you took me on our first date. I think about it every time I walk in. As for sleep, I've been trying. I think about you all the time and my jobs are working me to the bone. The reason for this is because I'm desperate to see you again and I'm desperate to get out of here. I dropped out of college to get a head start. I want to move to California and start small. I'm thinking of getting a studio apartment and living there for a while before upgrading._

_I want to see the sea. I think you'd love it just as much as you love that pond._

_Quite honestly, I think I am eating too little, but you can't tell since I'm living off of free fast food. It's a rare occasion when my boss at The Dine offers me free meals. Hopefully I'll get on his good side and he promotes me. I dropped a glass yesterday and he yelled at me in the back room. I can't imagine how you would react to that._

_I have been daydreaming a lot too. I'm thinking that sometimes when I get home from work and it was a bad day, you'd talk with me about it. You would give me a hug and tell me that it's all right and things will be better the next day. That's something I love about you. You always try to pick me up when I'm feeling down and you never disappoint me. It's euphoric._

_I need to see you soon. Please, I need you. I don't care if I sound like the most selfish person on earth. I need you by my side and I want to twirl my fingers in your honey blonde hair. You're my honey stick boy._

_How do you feel about running away to California with me? xxx_

_Love,_

_Michael x_

It's when Luke's eyes light up and his heart races. He hops on the horse and takes it back to the stables. He's quick to jump into the truck and speed off down the dirt road and toward the library, where he writes up a message to his brothers, pleading that they take him in. He informs them on how he's being treated, the incidents that have happened, and Luke is surprised when a message is instantly sent back.

Luke is accepted.

He nearly cheers with joy but he remembers he's in a library and he doesn't dare to peep a sound. Jack asks if Luke has any money to fly out to California, and honestly he doesn't know. He looks up flights and sees the prices. His heart drops when he sees. He grumbles and types out a reply that it's gonna buy time, but then the small typing bubble pops up.

_"Pay me back later?"_

Luke feels like he could cry.

 

It takes weeks of planning, weeks of nearly pulling his hair out, and weeks of love letters. Luke tells Michael about his plans and Michael is over the moon. Calum and Ashton are sat across from Luke and they both exchange looks, "So that's it, then? You're out of here?" Calum asks.

Luke nods, "Yeah. I need to."

Ashton furrows his brows and slices a piece of his apple pie, "So you're going to live with Jack for the time being?"

"Yeah, he said there's a room in his house all ready for me. He's going to propose to his girlfriend soon." Luke says, a smile on his face.

"This will be good for you, Luke, I mean... We'll miss you," Calum says, glancing at Ashton before looking back at Luke, "A lot."

"I'll miss you guys too," Luke says genuinely. There's silence between them until Luke speaks up again, "How come you two never avoided me?"

Calum parts his lips and Ashton clears his throat, "Love is love," the corner of Luke's lip curls up, "Doesn't matter who you stick your dick into as long as you're not hurting others or yourself. As long as the world around you isn't crumbling down because of it."

"Yeah, Luke. As long as you're happy and as long as the other person makes you happy. You have the right to feel as much love as every straight person in this town. And plus, Luke, it's the twenty first fucking century. How come this damned town is still living in the 1950s?" Calum butts in, and their support leaves Luke smiling with joy. Things will be okay. He will see Michael again.

 

"Luke!" a familiar voice shouts. Luke's ears perk up and his eyes light up when he sees his brother waving over a crowd of people. Luke grins wide and runs toward him, apologizing to some people he may have brushed on accident. Luke feels like a little kid again when he jumps into his brother's arms and holds on for dear life, "Oh, brother." he muffles into Luke's shoulder. Jack pulls away from the hug and takes one of Luke's bags, "It's like an hour drive back home. I know you sat on your ass for hours already so why don't we grab something to eat? Ever heard of In n Out?"

Luke laughs and runs his hand through his hair, "Ben told me about it."

"So you're cheating on me with him? I'll have you know I'm the better brother." Jack teases, slinging his arm around his brother's shoulders, "How's Michael?"

Luke's heart swells from his name, "He's managing."

"Oh?" Jack says in a questioning tone, "When's he gonna come down here?"

"As soon as he can." Luke sighs with a shrug, "I'm gonna help him pay for the air fare along with his rent."

"It's pretty expensive down here. Where is he gonna stay?"

"City probably. Not too far from the beach."

Jack hums and nods, "I'm glad you're here. Just wait until you meet my soon-to-be Fiancee."

"When are you gonna pop the question?" Luke asks.

The happiness on Jack's face is evident, "Let me explain over food, okay? You need to sit down for this."

 

Luke is happier he's been since Michael. He can't wait to tell him about everything. It's around 5 PM when they make it to Jack's house. Its spacious but homey. Jack's girlfriend greets Luke like family. He feels so welcomed and she's so sweet. Luke could definitely see her being the one for Jack. They show him to his room. It's simple with a full sized bed. with everything he needs to feel at home. Jack smiles at Luke, "Anything else you need before you turn in for the night?"

Luke thinks for a second when he opens his suitcase, revealing the letters. Luke looks up at Jack, "Actually, yeah."

 

Michael sighs and sits on the floor against his bed, staring off into nothing. He feels like he hasn't gotten a break, but he's determined to keep going for Luke. He glances over to his Xbox, which doesn't seem to appeal to him anymore. Maybe he'll sell it and get money from it. Yeah, that's a good idea, he thinks. He's torn away from his thoughts when he gets a call from an unknown number. Furrowing his brows, he hits answer and pulls it up to his ear, "Hello?" he answers, and his voice is thick and unclear. He clears his throat and retries, "hello?"

"Michael." Luke's voice says over the line.

Michael could cry. "Luke." he replies, unable to find the words.

"I'm in California with Jack."

"D-did you get a phone?" Michael asks, a bit louder than he should.

"No, I'm calling on Jack's. Soon, though." Luke snickers, "Are you taking care of yourself like I told you to?" Michael grumbles and mumbles something intelligible. "Michael."

"I'm sorry. I'm really trying." Michael says in an exhausted tone, "I missed your voice."

"I missed yours too. We'll see each other soon though." Luke says.

Michael closes his eyes and leans his head against his bed, "Talk to me."

"What?"

"Just talk to me. I want to hear your voice. Say anything."

So Luke does. He talks about his flight, how he's never been on a plane before and how he had to sit next to a dude who wouldn't stop snoring. He explained his fear of turbulence and the taste of In n Out, and he promises Michael that the next time he has it, it will be with him.


	10. Close To You

"Hand me that, Luke." Jack says, reaching out and waiting for Luke to hand him the next strip of Christmas lights. Jack is on a ladder and Luke is helping him out while Celeste, Jack's girlfriend, offers to make them grilled cheese for lunch. Luke's childhood soul is fluttering with joy. Months pass ever since his first phone call with Michael and Jack lets them do it ever since. Every night around five o'clock, it's something Luke gets to look forward to. On Thanksgiving day, Luke helped Celeste make dinner for when Ben and his wife came over. On that day, Luke and Michael talk for hours until Michael has to leave for a job. He worked as a fill in for a restaurant that offered dinners on Thanksgiving, so he earned a lot of money for that. They offered Michael a job there regularly, but Luke convinced him not to take it since two jobs seemed like enough.

_"Don't overwork yourself. I told you," Luke said, holding the phone to his ear by his shoulder when he removed the potatoes from the oven._

_"I know, I know." Michael replied with a sigh._

Around October, Luke got a job at a pumpkin patch which was right down his alley then when October passed, he got a job at a local grocery store. He promised himself he would work just as hard as Michael and it will all pay off in the end.

"When do you head to work?" Jack asks, a nail in between his lips as he hammers one to the roof.

Luke squints his eyes from the sun, "Thirty minutes?"

Jack waves his brother off, "All right, leave me to do the rest. Go eat and then get going."

"Are you sure?" Luke asks, backing up toward the house.

"Yeah, man." Jack snickers. Luke thanks him and heads inside where Celeste serves Luke his sandwich. Luke thanks her with a smile and she returns the favor.

"So," she leans in over the counter, "How's Michael?"

Luke rolls his eyes after biting into the snack, "He's overworking himself. I keep telling him to stop but he doesn't listen."

Celeste sighs and sends him a knowing look, "The things you do for love."

Luke laughs and shakes his head, "He's uh... he's really tough."

"He seems like it. But when the time comes, I'm really looking forward to meeting him." she says.

Luke nods his head and his smile fades into a sad expression, "Me too."

 

Michael wants to die. This is the third drink he spilled all week. Luckily this time it's in the kitchen and not outside like every other time. His coworkers send him a sympathetic glare when his boss rolls in and groans at the mess, "Clifford! Again?"

"I'm sorry," Michael immediately gets on his knees to gather the broken pieces of glass and he even cuts himself in the process, "Fuck."

"Someone get this kid a broom!" boss shouts. He leans in close to Michael, "One more broken glass, kid, and you're out."

Michael nods in understanding before apologizing again and the man walks away. He curses under his breath and sweeps up the mess he made. One of his coworkers, her name tag says Kit, gives him the same sympathetic look everyone else did, "What's up with you?"

"Nothing," he grumbles.

"From the bags under your eyes, I think that's a lie," she cross-examines, "What is it? Break up? Loss?"

Michael sighs loudly, "Long distance relationship."

"M'kay," she nods, "And why does it have you so worked up?"

"I'm trying to get out of here. To go to him." 

"Him?" she says with a smile.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Michael asks, suddenly defensive.

"I don't. My _male_ cousin is married to a very well-put together male," she says, rubbing his back, "Why are you rushing?"

"My parents are kicking me out. All my things are in boxes a-and I've got so little time before I'm thrown onto the sidewalk-"

"Breathe, Michael. The time will come and maybe an opportunity will spark, you never know what could happen. This job is shitty, I know, but the pay isn't that bad. So..." she stands up and offers Michael a hand, "Do it for him, all right?" Michael smiles and he can't help but hug her, earning stares from the rest of his coworkers.

 

"Meet back here by nine." Jack orders, holding Celeste close to his hip.

"And why can't I shop with you guys?" Luke asks, smiling.

"Because I'm gonna get you something and you can't know what it is?" Jack mimics, before tugging his girlfriend away from the honey haired boy. Luke is left overwhelmed with the amount of options the shops have. He smiles and tugs his scarf closer to his neck and adjusts his beanie. The cold weather was setting in and Luke hoped Michael was okay due to the fact that it snows where he is. It's 7 PM and Luke goes into random stores searching for something he can get for Michael, except he doesn't know exactly what Michael likes except for video games, but now he tells Luke that he's selling his Xbox because it doesn't appeal to him anymore. Luke is left with no options so he's wandering the mall alone not knowing what half of the stores are. He has heard of Adidas, but he has never really seen someone wear them before until he came to California. 

He stops in front of a small shop called Lush, which seems to be flooding with people with their boyfriends or girlfriends. He figures to check it out, seeing how popular it is. He's greeted with a girl that has fiery red hair and a brace face, "Hello, welcome!" she greets.

"Hi," Luke responds awkwardly.

"Can I help you with anything?"

"Uh, yeah... What exactly do you guys sell?"

"Oh, shower gels, bath bombs... Anything specific? A gift?"

Luke bites his lip and scans around the shop, "Yeah, for my boyfriend." his breathing hitches when he mentions Michael as his boyfriend, because the two never established what their relationship is. It feels nice, labeling them as such.

"Perfect! Maybe a bath bomb?" she suggests, showing him the different options, "This one is our most popular," she holds one up and lets Luke smell it, and oh boy it's a good smell. Maybe Michael would like to unwind with one when they see each other again soon.

Luke buys three.

 

"Paycheck." Michael's scary boss says, handing him an envelope. Before walking to the next employee, he spares him a glance, "Good work today, Clifford." Michael smiles wide before running out of the restaurant and praising himself. He must look like an idiot running to his car and practically dancing on the way there. He gets into his car and sighs happily, and then he gets a phone call from Jack's number as if on cue.

He answers straight away with a beaming tone, "Luke! You will not believe what my boss said to me when he handed me my paycheck!"

"It's Jack, actually." Jack snickers.

"Oh," Michael says, blushing, "How is Luke holding up?"

"He's fine, I should be asking you that," Jack says, voice jumping as he speaks. He must be walking, "So I was thinking of a present to get for Luke and we're at the mall right now. He's off getting things for you, I assume, and I separated from him just so I can make this call."

Michael furrows his brows and locks his car just in case a crazy person doesn't hop in with him, "Everything all right?"

"Everything is fine, don't worry. I just wanted to ask you if this was okay." Jack leads on.

"You're making me anxious." Michael jests, but it's entirely true.

"I have a buddy whose dad owns an apartment complex down here. I've been speaking with him for a couple weeks and if I can pull some strings to get you and Luke a place there. It's not the most glorious apartment in the complex, but I got you guys an offer," Jack explains, and Michael wants to cry, "All you gotta do is fly out here with your stuff and I can take care of the deposit just as long as you guys pay for the rent. I convinced the guy to give you discounts until you're financially stable and they accepted. Just give me your word on this and I'll have things fall through."

"Yes!" Michael says immediately, "Yes, yes, please!"

Jack smiles over the line, "Do you love my brother?"

"What, are you out of your mind?"

"I still gotta give you the big 'don't hurt my baby brother' talk. Give me a chance, I'm a huge softie." Jack teases.

"Jack, thank you for doing this. Really, it means the world. Fuck, thank you." Michael says, tears welling up in his eyes, "You're amazing."

"Come by New Years. You can thank me when I see the happy look on Luke's face. Keep it a secret, all right? It's my Christmas present to you both." Jack hangs up after that and Michael drops his phone into the glove box before laying his head against the headrest. He smiles at nothing, covering his face in his hands before grinning and screaming in joy. He starts the car and blasts 90's punk and cries with delight.

 

Luke sits by the fire as Ben's and his wife, Jack, Celeste and their friends dance to pop music in the living room. They're all wearing goofy hats that scream, "2018" on the front. Ben is drunk of out his mind and his wife tries to help him walk, laughing along. The ball drop countdown is on their flat screen above Luke, and the said boy watches everybody have a good time as he sips his champagne.

"Come dance with me, Luke!" Ben yells, holding his hand out.

"Nah, I'm good." Luke laughs.

"Come on, Hemmings!" Jack shouts, looking over Celeste's shoulder with a glass on champagne in his hand, "Dance with the old man!"

"I'm not old!" Ben slurs, "Come on, Lukey."

The door bell rings a few times, and Jack shouts, "I'll get it!" Luke rolls his eyes and stands up as Ben places his hand on Luke's waist and dances with him as if they're in a ballroom. Luke can't stop laughing when Ben nearly trips and falls on his ass.

"Oh, fuck," he mutters, "Did you know I took a dancing class in college?"

"All that work really paid off, I see," Luke says sarcastically, and Ben stops dancing with him.

"Oh, I see how it is." he slurs, "I'm breaking up with you, goodbye." Luke laughs when Ben walks away and goes to bother his wife, who sends Luke an apologetic smile. Luke drinks the last of his champagne and goes to the kitchen to rinse off the glass. It's the most he can do for now to thank Jack and Celeste for their generosity. He's smiling to himself when he hears the crowd of people in the living room singing to 'Come On Eileen' while he dries off his wine glass.

"Luke! Come here!" he hears Jack yell over the crowd.

"Just a minute!" Luke replies, setting the glass into a cupboard over the counter. Luke wipes his hand on a kitchen rag before walking toward Jack's voice, "Hey, Jack, is there anymore of that red wine? Celeste was asking earlier-" He stops in his tracks and his heart skips a beat when he sees Michael standing in the doorway with Jack. He has scruff on his face and his roots are growing in. Luke didn't know he was a natural blond. Michael looks like he doesn't know what to do either, so he smiles sheepishly.

"Surprise?"

"Fucking hell." Luke mumbles, running toward the other man and engulfing him into a tight hug. He missed his smell and his touch. Jack leans against the wall and sips on his champagne, smiling at the sight in front of him. Luke breaks away from the hug but keeps his arms tightly around Michael, "Explain to me what the fuck is going on cause I'm pretty sure the last time we spoke, you told me you were struggling to get a promotion from that stupid fucking cunt boss you have-"

"You've got a dirty mouth." Michael snickers.

"It's my Christmas present to you both," Jack butts in, smiling, "I spoke with Michael at the beginning of December. I got you guys a place along the freeway, close to the beach. I couldn't stand watching you two be apart for so long. It was killing you both."

"You're fucking lying." Luke gapes, not sure if he should be looking at Michael or his brother.

"I moved my stuff in already. It's such a nice place." Michael says, and Luke furrows his brows, "It's pretty empty right now but once we kick things off, it'll be nice and homey."

"You're fucking lying." Luke repeats.

"I'll leave you two alone for now." Jack says, patting Luke's back.

Luke turns around slightly and points aggressively toward his brother, "You are _not_ getting away with this so easily!" Luke turns his attention back to Michael. He has bags under his eyes and it looks like he hasn't shaved in a couple weeks, but it's Michael and he looks happy. Luke runs his thumbs over the skin under Michael's eyes as he cups his face.

"I was gonna freshen up before I came but it's almost midnight and I couldn't miss it," Michael explains, "I'm so happy I'm finally here. Fuck, I'm so happy."

Luke doesn't know what to say. He doesn't realize there's tears in his eyes until they fall down his cheeks and Michael reaches out to wipe them away. Luke sniffles and shakes his head, "I'm sorry. I'm a big baby." Michael doesn't say anything, instead he nuzzles his nose against Luke's and presses his lips against his. The taste of Michael, accompanied by salty tears is heaven.

"I love you." Michael murmurs against Luke. Luke just cries harder, detaching their lips and shoving his face into Michael's shoulder. His grip is so tight, Michael can practically feel the love radiating off of him.

"I love you too." Luke sobs, "It's been too long."

"It has." Michael agrees, "I'm so tired."

Luke sniffles before pulling away and taking Michael's hands, "When did you get here?"

"This morning. I could barely sleep on the plane. Left home around midnight, flight got delayed, and I ended up getting here around seven." Michael explains, and Luke is trying to catch his breath, "Stop crying, you're gonna make me cry." Michael whimpers, and he too has tears spilling out of his eyes and the next thing they know it, they're both engulfed in each other's arms again.

 

There comes a point in the night where Michael and Luke head into the living room and are greeted by everyone. Michael doesn't seem to leave Luke's side, and Luke is perfectly content with that. Michael even follows him to the bathroom when he has to piss and it's like they're a married couple. Luke hands Michael a glass of champagne when Jack shushes everybody in the living room.

"Hey!" Jack yells, and everyone in the room goes silent. Jack is standing on the couch with his champagne glass raised, "So I have two announcements. The first one being that my brother Lukey over here, come on, wave so everyone can see," Luke waves awkwardly and everyone looks at Luke with a smile, "2017 has been a tough year for this fella, but he also found someone who cares for him very much. And I don't wanna explain the whole story, but long distance sucks and so does work, but in the end it all worked out. And next to him, is the lucky guy who gets to cherish this lovely night with him.

"And again, I'm not gonna go into another long sappy story-hey, shut the fuck up, Jared!" Jack shouts, and so-called Jared stops whispering to the pretty girl next to him and the room is filled with laughter, "Anyway, before I was _so rudely interrupted_ , I want to make a toast to these two lovebirds who are finally reunited. I hope you both treat each other with love and respect as you start your new journey together here in California. To Luke and Michael!" Everyone cheers and takes a sip from their wine glass. Luke, of course, starts crying again, and Michael pulls him in for a hug. "But I'm not finished yet! Where's Celeste? My beautiful companion, where is she?"

"She's right here!" female voices scream, and Celeste walks up to Jack with an embarrassed look on her face.

"What's that look?" Jack asks, voice high pitched. He laughs when she sticks her tongue out at him, "With only a few minutes left until New Years, I want to you all to recognize what a great person Celeste is and how happy she has made me over the past four years. You shaped me into the person I never thought I'd be when I moved out here. So thank you for being by my side and supporting me with your kindness and love. So my question to you is," he extolls, pulling out a small velvet box out of his pocket and opening it, "Will you please marry me?"

Celeste covers her mouth with her hands and the whole room is hooting and cheering for the two. Luke is screaming at the top of his lungs and shaking Michael with force and Ben is probably the loudest out of the room by his drunken babbling and shouting. Celeste nods her head and then the ring is being slid onto her finger and the two share a kiss that will be remembered forever. Everyone raises their glasses for the two and take a sip of their drinks until someone mentions that the ball will drop in thirty seconds. "Find someone to kiss!" a guy yells, voice cracking. Everybody gets into position as they count down loudly.

Luke has his forehead pressed against Michael's, both gazing in each other's eyes when it feels as if the world around them is muffled and it's just them, "All that work paid off." Luke says.

"Yeah, it did."

"I can't wait to get in bed with you again. I can't wait to feel you again." Luke mumbles, it makes Michael smile.

"I can't wait either. I'm so pooped right now. I'm gonna collapse onto the ground when we get home."

"Home," Luke repeats, grinning.

"Fuck," Michael snickers.

_"Three! Two! One!"_

Michael is quick to pull Luke in for the kiss, savoring the taste of the other man. It has Luke's knees weak and his hands trembling, and when Michael notices this, he clasps his hands with his, rubbing his thumb against Luke's.

_"Happy New Year!"_

 

"Ugh, fantastic." Michael moans from the warm water. They're in the bath after a bath bomb fizzes completely, around 1 AM when they get home from the new years party. Michael closes his eyes and sighs and feels Luke get in as well.

"Do you like it?" Luke asks, eyes half closed as well.

"I love it, thank you." Michael smiles, "I feel bad that I didn't get you anything."

"You're all I need. You're the best present I could ever ask for." Luke says. Michael opens his eyes and grins at the other boy, who bites his lip with flushed cheeks.

"Come here," Michael says suddenly, and he lunges forward and attacks Luke with kisses.

"Michael! The water!" Luke laughs.

 

Luke hums when Michael twirls his finger through Luke's golden locks, "I've always loved that."

"What?"

"When you do that to my hair. It makes me sleepy." Luke mumbles, snuggling closer to Michael's side.

"Don't sleep yet." Michael whines, poking at Luke's face.

"What happened to you being tired?" Luke asks, looking up at the other man.

Michael shrugs, "The bath."

"Liar." Luke says wearily, sitting up slightly and presses sloppy kisses to his lover's neck.

"Luke," Michael murmurs, running his hand through Luke's hair, "Come on, you're tired."

"I'm not gonna stop until you tell me to." Luke says, leaving trails of kisses until he reaches Michael's happy trail, "You're still not speaking up."

"S-... Fuck." Michael moans when Luke palms him through his boxers, "Thought about you while we were apart."

"What else?" Luke asks, dipping his hand under the waistband of Michael's underwear.

Michael bites his lip and closes his eyes, "Thought about the first time you sucked me off," Michael says, back arching when Luke strokes his length, "touched myself to that."

"Did you?" Luke smirks, eyes half closed. 

"Yeah," Michael confesses, "And when you fucked me." Luke hums and pulls down Michael's boxers to his ankles and pumps him a few times, "You were so mad at me when I gave you a blowjob in the truck."

"Cause we could've died." Luke points out, kissing Michael's thighs.

"Yeah, but we didn't." Michael counter argues. His mouth goes agape when Luke takes him in his mouth, "Fuck."

Luke pulls off for a second and looks up at Michael, blush on his cheeks, "I thought about you too."

"Talk to me." Michael breathes as Luke kisses the sides of Michael's cock.

"It felt so good inside you." Luke says, licking up Michael, "When you blew me in the car, I was so nervous if someone caught us, but I also hoped someone would."

"That's so dirty, Luke," Michael comments and he moans when Luke takes him back into his mouth. Luke bobs his head onto Michael's cock, and he whimpers knowing he does this all for him and only him, "Luke, I'm gonna..." Michael releases into Luke's mouth and the older lad pops his mouth off of Michael's cock and swallows the rest of his load. Michael pants, trying to catch his breath when Luke kisses the side of Michael's mouth. When he does eventually manage to get over his high, he licks Luke's lower lip and pulls him in for a fucked out kiss. His movements are sloppy when he reaches his hand down and wiggles his hand through Luke's pajamas.

"Touch me. Please. I'm so close." Luke whimpers. Michael strokes at Luke's neglected cock and rubs his thumb over the slit, making Luke shiver against him. Michael moans at how sensitive Luke is and pumps him in a skilled rhythm, which leaves Luke moaning against Michael's mouth and spurting his load between them. Luke lets out shaky breaths and sloppily nuzzles his nose against Michael's before attaching their lips again at a slow, lazy pace.

"Missed that. Missed you." Michael murmurs before dipping back into the kiss. Luke hums in contentment.

"I love you." Luke whispers.

"I love you too."

 

Weeks go by and their apartment is almost fully furnished. It's filled with color and plants and Luke names every one of them. Michael ends up finding a job while he does online school and Luke gets promoted at the store. Things are well for the two, and things are even better when they get a FaceTime call from Ben, who says they're expecting a baby girl. Luke cries in joy and Michael lets him do so in his shoulder.

On their second official date, because they decide they deserve it, Luke takes Michael to a pancake house one morning and he couldn't be happier. "I love pancakes!" Michael exclaims, bouncing in his seat on the ride there, "Best date idea ever, I think."

"Yeah? I can finally ask you if you wanna be my boyfriend while we're there too, right?" Luke asks, blush on his cheeks.

"Oh my god, Luke." Michael snickers, "What have we been this whole time?"

Luke bites his lip, "Two human beings in love."

"That's cheesy." Michael replies, smiling at his lover.

"You love it."

"I do."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

 

Jack's bachelor party is a big, male infested mess. It's in a club room on the beach and they rent it out. It's all of Jack's friends from college, and Michael and Luke recognize some faces from the New Years party a couple months back. There's kegs and booze all around, and there's flashing lights as Jack sings pop music through the karaoke machine at the top of his lungs next to his closest friends. All of them have a beer in one hand and Michael swears he sees one of Jack's friends throwing up in a trashcan in the corner of the room. Luke has had one too many drinks as well, him very fond of a strawberry kiwi mojito. Michael figures it's because Luke likes sweets and the fact that he can't taste the booze in the drink.

"Why don't we step outside?" Michael suggests, seeing Luke's dazed flushed expression. Michael recognizes this as Luke's drunk face, in which he learned that Luke's face gets flushed whenever he takes one sip of alcohol.

"Why?" Luke asks, getting touchy-feely with Michael.

"Because you're drunk, babe. Come on. Lets get some fresh air." Michael says, standing up and guiding Luke out to the patio. He helps Luke down the few steps until their bare feet are in the sand. The fresh, cool air greets them and the sky is a burning orange.

Luke hums and loses his balance when Michael lets go of him for just a second, but Michael manages to catch him just in time, "It's cold out here." Luke slurs.

"I'll warm you up. Here," Michael assures, taking off his jacket and placing it over Luke's shoulders. Luke starts to shiver and he cuddles closer to Michael, "Feel better?"

"Yeah." Luke replies as he walks sluggishly next to Michael, keeping his grip around the other boy. He must look silly from farther away, the sight of a tall, broad, blond man next to a lanky one. Luke burps loudly and Michael starts to laugh. Luke pushes Michael weakly before tumbling onto the sand and grumbling to himself, "Stop laughing, dick!"

"Sorry," Michael chuckles, holding his hand out for Luke who struggles to hoist himself up. Michael eventually has to pull the man and all his weight up and when he's successful, he's trying to catch his breath as Luke leaves a wet, sloppy kiss to his cheek.

"I'm so happy with you, Mikey." Luke slurs, nuzzling his face against Michael's neck.

Michael smiles wide, "I'm happy with you too, Lukey."

Luke hums, "I'm glad."

"I love you, honey stick."

"I love you too, tiny dick." Luke giggles.

"You didn't mean that, did you?" Michael asks, feigning offense.

"No. I'm to drunk to come up with a nickname. I love you too." Luke mumbles, pulling Michael in for an intoxicated, but heartfelt kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the support! Please leave your thoughts in the comments. It was a pleasure writing this story for you guys.
> 
> I'd like to know your favorite chapter and why :-)
> 
> Thank you so much again!
> 
> -LPH


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